The New Girl
by ChinaTeaSunflowers
Summary: Semi-AU. Leslie Shay is a bartender at a strip club by night and training to become a paramedic during the day. There she befriends firefighter Kelly Severide. Shay is a known womanizer. That is, until she lays eyes on Gabriela Dawson, aka Honey, the very shy, but very sexy new girl. STATUS: Off Hiatus!
1. The New Girl

_Title: The New Girl_

_Author_: Desi (Meeeee!)

_Rating_: T (M+ in all chapters after 3)

_Summary_: Semi-AU. Leslie Shay is a bartender at a strip club by night and training to become a paramedic during the day. There she befriends firefighter and patron Kelly Severide. Shay is a known womanizer. That is, until she lays eyes on Gabriela Dawson, aka Honey, the very shy, but very sexy new girl. M+ in all chapters after 3.

**Disclaimer: Dick Wolf owns anyone familiar to you. Fucking creative genius.**

A/N: Review, review, review. I needs it like airrrrr. (:

_**Chapter 1: The New Girl**_

_Nocturnal Gentleman's Club, Friday, 11:54PM, Chicago_

Home to a sensual experience and women that never took off more than their bikini tops -which wasn't saying much- Nocturnal was definitely a classy establishment. If one was looking for a good time, this was definitely where they wanted to come.

Cockily grinning and pushing the end of her blonde ponytail over her shoulder, Leslie Shay folded her arms under her breasts and watched the current girl on the center stage. Lust danced in her eyes as Nico danced seductively to a semi-slow song. Nico glanced over at Shay and winked, never missing a beat. Shay gave a slight chuckle before her naughty thoughts were interrupted.

"Hey, Shay, can I get another one?" A gruff patron called from the end of the bar, holding up his empty Heineken glass.

"Sure can, handsome." Shay responded. With expert fingers, she quickly popped the top off of the green bottle and sat it on the bar in front of him.

"Slow night?" A voice said.

"It'll pick up around twelve-thirty," replied a distracted Shay. Her gaze lingered, once again, on Nico's dancing. "What'll you have?"

"Shot of Jack." Kelly Severide said, smiling at her. He slipped a few crumpled bills on the bar. "Make it a double."

"You got it."

Severide looked Shay up and down while she poured his drink. Even in her simple black tank top and black skinny jeans, she was still gorgeous.

When she slid his drink in front of him, he put his hand atop hers while she reached for the cash he'd laid down.

"Sure you don't want to rethink my offer?"

_Flashback (six months ago)_

_The fourteen people who were waiting for their drinks were waving cash in the air and yelling drink orders at Shay. She was keeping her head above water despite the other bartender calling out "sick" that night. _

_With loud uptempo music blasting and dark red lights flashing in time to the rhythm, there were thousands of dollars of bills all over on the black linoleum floor. The current situation? A bachelor party for a firefighter. Rowdy, drunken men just begging to get into trouble littered the place. _

_Just when Shay thought she was done with all of her orders, two men walked up to the bar. One was muscular and tall with dark hair and the adorable hint of dimples on his face. The other was short, thin and looked to be the groom. Shay only guessed that because of the scared look on his face. Something told her, his future wife would kill him if she found out he'd acted inappropriately._

_"What can I get you?"_

_"How about your phone number?" the muscular one asked._

_Shay snorted. "I just do drinks. And women."_

_"The offer still stands."_

_"Please get it a chair. It'll be waiting for quite a while." Shay smirked, placing her hands on the bar._

_"Are you always this quick on your feet?"_

_"Mostly. Now," Shay began again, "what can I get you to drink?"_

_"Two White Russians."_

_"Coming up."_

_End of flashback_

"I don't and won't ever bat for your team, Severide." Shay said, winking at him before taking his money. She bumped fists with him before he took his shot, tapped the bar and headed back towards the stage.

"Yo, Shay! I'm here. Do you need me?" Kimmie, another bartender asked, slipping her handbag under the bar.

"Yeah, can you see what the girls in the back are drinking?"

"Sure thing."

"Shay?" A slender, but curvy waitress started. She had gotten the nickname "Monroe" from the staff due to the fact that she was the splitting image of Marilyn Monroe; from her bleach blonde hair to her natural beauty mark just above her lip.

"What's up, girl?"

"I need two Hypnotiq on the rocks, an Irish trashcan and a vodka tonic for table three."

Shay immediately got to work, completing the order in a record forty-seven seconds. She placed the drinks onto a black, circular tray and slid them towards Monroe.

Kimmie came back behind the bar with a smirk on her face. She propped herself up on one elbow against the bar top and looked at Shay.

"Who's talking about me tonight?" Shay assumed.

Kimmie said nothing. She simply slid an order slip towards Shay, who glanced at it. It took her three complete seconds before Leslie did a double take at the paper.

"Who the hell is 'Honey'?" Shay asked, confused.

"The new girl."

"New girl, huh? What does she look like?"

"You'll see her in about four minutes. She's on rotation next, but she's nervous as hell, so she needs her drink."

"I'll, uh, fix them and take them back." Shay told her.

"Oh no no no. You don't need another one in your stable."

"They're not horses, Kimmie."

"No, they're just your bitches, you little pimp."

"I am not a pimp."

"Pimp." Monroe insulted, playfully, as she put the empty tray on the bar before walking away again. Kimmie and Shay laughed.

"Whatever, man." Shay finished up the drink order, placed them on a tray and passed them off to Kimmie.

Two minutes later, seductive music started to play. Shay recognized the song as '_Anytime, Anyplace_' from an older Janet Jackson album. It was definitely a tune that could put anyone in the mood.

"Welcome to the stage the newest addition to our family, Honey!" Their house DJ, Kylie, announced.

Shay's head shot up from the cash box just as the dark center stage was suddenly lit with an orange spotlight. Honey gave a small smirk to the crowd as she worked her legs and hips slowly to the sensual beat. She turned, using the silver, floor to ceiling pole for leverage, and slid slowly into a split.

"Oh god." Shay muttered.

Kimmie handed Shay a napkin.

"To wipe the drool." She explained.

"Shut up." Shay replied, crumbling the napkin in her hand.

Honey had somehow twisted her body and was now on her back, making her ass clap with her legs in the air.

Shay glanced at the audience. Every single man had stopped what they were doing and was now focused on Honey's show. Catcalls, whistles and hundreds of dollar bills were being thrown onstage.

Honey was now on all fours, crawling to the pole and pulling herself up, up, up... until she was about three feet in the air, holding on with just her thigh muscles as she slowly ran her hands down her torso. She gripped onto the pole, tightly, and flipped herself upside down, spreading her legs once again as she slid towards the floor.

Just as the song ended and before the spotlight went out, Honey winked at the men and gave yet another seductive smirk.

Kimmie snapped her fingers in front of Shay's face. "How much alcohol did you put into her drink?"

"Huh? What?"

"How much alcohol was in her drink?"

"A lot." Shay snorted.

"I can tell. She was so nervous that she was shaking backstage."

"How long has she been dancing?"

"This was her first time ever. She did the damn thing."

"Yeah. She did." Shay observed.

Something inside of Shay pulled at her for the rest of the night. The busier they got, the less her chances were of getting backstage to talk to Honey.

_1:57AM..._

Shay wiped down the bar and made sure her bottles were spaced neatly apart on their glass shelves, before grabbing her messenger bag and swinging it over her head to rest on her shoulders. She headed backstage where the last of the girls were slipping into their sweatpants or jeans, locking their lockers and grabbing their gym bags. Standing in front of a vanity mirror, taking off her liquid eyeliner before slipping into her dark grey cardigan, was Honey.

Shay's heart may or may not have skipped a beat when she saw her. Her hands might have gotten a little clammy. And she was only partially certain that she had to clear her throat to get rid of the frog.

"That was some show." Shay started with.

"You must be Shay. I've heard a lot about you." Honey replied. It was clear in her tone that she was all set to reject Shay's advances.

"Believe every word." Shay joked.

"So you _are _a vulture that circles when it smells fresh meat?"

Always the quick-witted one, Shay smirked and responded, "Trying to get my feathers all ruffled, I see."

"Good one." Honey stuck her hand out. "Gabriela Dawson."

Shay took her hand out of her jeans pocket and shook it. "Leslie Shay."

"So, Leslie Shay, know a diner around here with good grub at two a.m.?"

"Absolutely."

_**Up Next: Diner talk, paramedic training, and a talk with Severide.**_


	2. The Beginning

_**A/N: Guys, I totally appreciate the follows and favorites. Can I get a few more reviews to compliment them? (:**_

_**Chapter 2: The Beginning**_

_Benni's Diner, Saturday, 2:35AM, Chicago_

A variety of foods littered the table where Gabriela and Leslie sat. French fries and half-eaten cheeseburgers with pickles and what was left of a stack of pancakes had been paired with an order of crab cakes and a grilled cheese sandwich. It was clear that Gabriela ate whatever she wanted and didn't give a care in the world. Shay liked that about her.

"So, where are you from? And what brings you to Chicago?" Shay asked, swirling a French fry in a messy mix of melted cheese and ketchup before popping it into her mouth.

"Who says I'm not from Chicago?"

"Tan lines from the summer haven't faded yet. We don't have that kind of sun here." Shay smiled.

Gabriela smiled at how observant Shay was. "California."

"And what brings you here?"

"Nostalgia."

"Care to elaborate?"

A reluctant Gabriela drank from her lemon water before choosing her words wisely. She still didn't know this girl from a can of paint. The only thing she knew about Shay was that she was a womanizer and she just walked around bedding girls and breaking hearts; and Gabby just wasn't sure if she wanted to give up more than Shay was willing to.

"Maybe." She eventually sighed.

"Okay, we'll start with something easier. Where the hell did you get those moves? Kimmie told me that it was your first time dancing tonight."

"Kimmie?"

"The bartender that came in and asked for the backstage orders."

"Oh. She's sweet. And, honestly, pole dancing classes."

"Bullshit."

"No, no. I'm serious. They teach you how to be sensual and use the pole and everything else was basically what I've seen in movies."

"I'm impressed."

"Is that saying much?"

"Okay. What exactly were you told about me? Or do you always have your guard up around new people?"

Gabby chuckled a little. "One of the girls, Sassy, I think, said that you make girls feel like they're your one and only, but only for one night."

Shay sat back against the plastic, red booth and placed her hands on the edge of the table. Try as she might, there was no denying the smirk on her face.

"Wow. That's-."

"Honest?" Gabby guessed.

"Actually, yeah. But, I mean, it's not like I do it on purpose. It's just the way things work out."

"So you have serious committment issues?"

Shay shrugged, tapping the palms of her hands against the table.

"Why?"

"That's a conversation for another time."

Gabriela tried to stop the smile that donned her face. She liked the thought of sharing another meal with Shay. Regardless of the rumors, Gabriela was new in Chicago. She needed someone to hang out with; someone who knew the city and could show her around.

Tapping the home button on her iPhone, Shay groaned when she saw the time. "Crap. I've got to be up in like four and a half hours for school."

"School on a Saturday? You're a student?"

"Unfortunately, I have classes everyday except Sunday. I'm training to become a paramedic."

"_Shut up_! Me too! Well, I'm hoping to, anyway. I'm waiting for my financial aid to come through. Even though it's vocational school, it's still expensive as hell."

"That why you're dancing?"

Gabby poked at the, now lukewarm, crab cakes with her fork and nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you work during the day, too?"

"Yeah. At a bank. You?"

"I would if I had the time. I've got school from morning until the afternoon. Then, I try to get some sleep in before I have to head back to the bar and do it all over again."

"Damn. And you work every night?"

"Every night except Wednesdays."

"Well, then, I guess I'll just have to miss you on Wednesdays, since I do."

Shay raised an eyebrow and grinned. Gabriela immediately kicked herself for her words.

"I didn't mean it... What I meant was-."

"I know what you meant. Don't sweat it."

Well, we should both get home, Leslie Shay." The brunette admitted.

"This is true. " Even though she didn't want to stop talking with Gabriela, the blonde signaled their sweet waitress for the check. She reached into her messenger back for her wallet, pulling out two twenty-dollar bills and a ten-dollar bill.

Just as Gabby was reaching for cash, Shay stopped her.

"I got this one."

"I wouldn't feel right about it."

"But I would."

Gabriela started to put her wallet back into her bag. "Why do I get the feeling that people don't normally say 'no' to you?"

"Because they normally don't." Shay smiled, giving the money to the waitress.

"Have a good one, girls." She told Leslie and Gabby.

"You too." Shay responded.

The girls grabbed their bags, stood up from the booth, and walked to the door, which Shay held open for Gabriela. They walked to their cars together and Shay waited for Gabby to pull off before she started her engine. Leaning her head against the chair's headrest, Shay closed her eyes for a few moments before sighing and putting her car into 'drive' and pulling off.

_South Suburban College, Saturday, 2:50PM, Chicago_

"Now, just quickly before our time is up, let's review the basics," instructor, Melissa Velez-McGregor began. "What is the first thing we, as paramedics, do upon arrival to a scene? Leslie Shay, go."

Shay sat at the large lab-esque table, picking at her well-manicured nails.

"Shay!"

"Huh?" Shay asked.

"It would be wise for a future paramedic to be a bit more observant." Melissa warned Shay before turning back to the class. "Which is exactly what a paramedic does upon arrival of a scene of emergency. You assess your environment to ensure it does not pose any threat of additional danger to yourself, the victim or others who may be around."

Shay cleared her throat and looked at the clock. Eight more minutes and she could go home and sleep. All she wanted was the be under her covers trying for at least an hour of sleep before her five o'clock shift at the bar.

It was clear that her focus had been off all day in each of her classes. If she wasn't calculating how much sleep she could get in, the blonde's heart was racing at the prospect of seeing Gabriela, or rather _Honey_, that night.

"Alright. Please focus on chapters six through ten and be prepared for a quiz when we meet again on Tuesday." Melissa dismissed them. "Leslie Shay, could you stay behind for a few moments?"

Shay groaned inwardly. She just wanted to go home. This was worse than high school. Still, she slid her books into her messenger bag, slung it over her shoulder and walked to her instructor's desk.

"Leslie, is everything okay?"

"Yeah."

Melissa grabbed her travel coffee cup and briefcase and looked at Shay, unconvinced. "Look, Leslie, you're one of my best and brightest and I have no doubt that you'll make one hell of a paramedic in a few months. I have ties with the CFD and I know that's where you want to be once you receive your certification."

Shay's mood immmediately brightened. "Absolutely."

"Good. Then keep on reminding why I'm already writing your letter of recommendation."

The blonde's smile broadened. "I will. Thanks, Melissa."

"My pleasure."

_Shay's Loft, 3:39PM_

"Ahhh." Shay sighed, relaxing into her messy bed. With her sheets still crumpled from the night before and her pillows just the way she left them, Shay lifted her blanket over her head to shield her eyes from the bright sun. She closed her eyes and just as she was dozing off, her iPhone began buzzing annoyingly on her nightstand.

"Ugghhh!"

Reaching under the covers, blindly, her fingers grasped until they reached their destination.

"What?" Shay demanded.

"What kind of greeting is that?" Severide asked.

"Severide, I'm exhausted. I barely slept last night and I have to be at work in an hour and fifteen minutes." Leslie whined.

"Alright, this won't take long. I just called to ask how the new girl was."

"I didn't sleep with her. We had... breakfast." With her eyes still closed, the corner of the blonde's lips turned upwards into a smile at the memory.

"As in she was your breakfast?"

"No, perv. We ate breakfast at a diner after the club closed."

"You like this girl."

"What? I do not. You know I'm not that type."

"I can hear it in your voice."

"Shut up. I'm going to sleep now." Shay said. Not waiting for a reply, she tapped '_END_ _CALL_' on the phone's touchscreen, threw her it onto the floor and rolled over.

_**Up Next: Saturday night at the club, a little drama, and a little angst.**_


	3. The Drama

_**Chapter 3: The Drama**_

_Nocturnal Gentleman's Club, Saturday, 8:30PM, Chicago_

"Ladies, ladies. Not to worry. The party is here." Shay joked as she entered the dressing room backstage. She caught a tube of mascara that was no doubt meant to hit her in the forehead and was met with a mix of playful "boo"s and catcalls. "Ah, I feel the love!"

The bright lights of the eight, fairly large vanity mirrors gave the room a nicely lit atmosphere and there was a little music playing lowly on a radio. All different kinds of lingerie and props were scattered in sections around the large room.

In front of her mirror, Gabriela sat, applying her nude lipstick, trying not to look too long at Shay through the glass. The blonde leaned against the vanity's counter and crossed her arms, looking down at Gabby. Before she had the chance to speak, however, a gorgeous, long-legged redhead approached. She leaned over and seductively planted a ruby red kiss on Shay's cheek.

"Sparkle, where the hell have you been, girl?" Shay questioned.

"I had the baby. He's perfect." The redhead responded.

"Tell me you have pictures."

"Of course. The girls are swooning over him as we speak." Sparkle said and gestured to the small group of girls that were pointing and 'aww'-ing at pictures.

"You have to bring him by my place before it gets too cold out."

"I will. You took such good care of me when I was pregnant, Shay." Sparkled took a step closer, her voice dropping to a sensual tone. "Maybe you could take care of me just for one more night."

Gabriela cleared throat, dropped her eyeliner onto the counter and stood up from her chair. She walked to her locker and pretended to look for the first outfit that she had planned to wear for the night.

"Damn." Shay muttered. She kissed Sparkle's cheek so she wouldn't feel too rejected. "Not tonight, babe."

The brunette didn't bat an eyelash when Shay came and stood next to her locker.

"Hey," Shay began, quietly, "sorry about Sparkle. She can be-."

"Uh oh, ladies! Looks like Shay's got her eye on Honey already." Sparkle announced loudly to the flock of women in the dressing room. A couple of the girls clapped as if they knew it was going to happen.

"Watch out, Honey. Shay's our favorite little heartbreaker." The raven-haired, Jinx, called out before exiting the room for her set.

"A bit much." Shay finished. She ran her fingers, nervously, along the sides of the locker's door.

"I see." Gabriela checked her cell phone for mixed calls or text messages. Her brother, Antonio, promised he'd call to check in after his first shift at the new job.

"What time are you out of here tonight?" Shay asked.

"Twelve."

"I'm off at one. When you're finished, will you get dressed and keep me company at the bar?"

Gabriela sighed, annoyed, and looked at Shay. "Why?"

Shay smiled. "Because," she remarked. The blonde pushed herself off of the set of lockers and walked out of the room. Despite her frustration with the girls and with Shay's very spotted past, Gabriela gave herself a small smile, shook her head and shut her locker.

Gabriela thought Shay's crush was adorable, but truth be told, she never considered herself a lesbian. She had never thought about sleeping with a woman, let alone being in a relationship with one. Still, there was something about Shay that intrigued Gabriela. From what she'd already seen, Shay was gorgeous, fun-loving, pretty hilarious and had a future ahead of her. All-around, it seemed the blonde was a good person, except when it came to long-term relationships.

_12:17AM_

Gabriela had just slipped her dark orange, v-neck shirt over her head and was pulling her arms through when she was approached by Barbie, Heaven and Paris. Each looked more pissed off than the next.

"Is this the part when we start pulling hair and breaking nails?" Gabriela smirked, pulling her shirt down over her tummy. She may have been small but she had taken every self-defense class she could find when she lived in California.

"We just want you to know a few things about Shay before you two become-." Heaven started.

Paris interrupted with, "A little too friendly."

"Girls, I appreciate the advice, but, I can handle myself. First, I'm not interested in Shay. I'm not even gay."

"Neither was Barbie, until she met Shay." Paris explained.

Barbie nodded seriously. It was clear that these three were women scorned. No doubt they had fallen madly in love with Shay and had gotten their hearts broken.

"Yeah," Barbie said, "and Paris gave Shay her virginity and two weeks later, Shay was on to the next one."

"I didn't know that was possible." Gabriela said, absentmindedly while she placed her makeup case into her gym bag.

"Well, it is," Paris started. Her Southern accent was subtle, but it was definitely there. "And afterwards, nothin'."

"And me," Heaven started, "well, let's just say my parents don't talk to me anymore. And do you think Shay cares?"

"Girls, I know I'm the new girl and everything so you all must assume that I'm the biggest nitwit in the world, but believe me, I can take care of myself." Gabriela smiled, genuinely.

"Don't say we didn't warn you, Honey." Paris drawled.

"I won't." Gabriela slid her bag onto her shoulded, walked out of the dressing room and headed towards the bar. Truth be told, the things they were saying didn't affect Gabriela's outlook on Shay. So, she was a womanizer? It didn't matter because Gabby had no romantic interest in Shay, whatsoever.

_Right?_

At the bar, Shay took Gabriela's bag and stashed it under the counter. She handed Gabby a beer and told her to relax until she got off of her shift. The brunette checked her phone, answered a few text messages and then found herself searching through her social network page.

"Honey, right?" A man asked, sitting next to her.

"That's me." Gabby smiled.

"Great show tonight. You're my new favorite."

"Thanks, doll."

"Hey, Sam, leave the girl alone. She's off duty. Like you." Shay said, placing another rum and coke in front of him.

"You're a cop?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, in that case, your drink's on me. Thanks for protecting and serving, handsome." Gabriela said.

She knew from the girls that the sweeter you were to the men, the better the tips were. Once a girl got three or four regulars, she had more money to look forward to during the night. And sometimes the men would tell their friends about a particular girl that they found intriguing, adding to their clientele.

_1:00AM_

Shay handed Gabriela her bag and grabbed her own from behind the bar. She said her goodbyes to the other two bartenders and ushered Gabriela out of the club.

"So, it's one a.m. on a Saturday night. We're young, hot and in Chicago. What do you wanna do?" Shay asked her new friend.

"Technically, it's Sunday morning."

"Semantics."

"I don't know much about this place. What's there to do?" Gabriela wondered aloud. Then she had an idea. She bit her bottom lip, hoping Shay wouldn't get the wrong impression of her when she voiced her next option. "Are you hungry?"

"I could eat." Shay smirked. Her mind always went to the dirtiest place possible.

"For food, perv."

"Definitely.

Cautiously, Gabriela started her next train of thought. "Well, you wanna come to my place? I could whip something up."

Shay jingled her keys in her hand. "I don't know, Dawson. I usually don't go back to a girl's place on the first date."

"First, it's not a date. And second, shut up and follow me in your car."

_Dawson's apartment, 3:07AM, Chicago_

"I can't remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal. That was so good." Shay said. She helped Dawson, as she was now calling Gabriela, clear the dishes from the coffee table.

After Dawson had cooked an amazing meal in under forty-five minutes, the two had sat on the floor, backs against the couch, and ate. Even though the TV had been turned on, they volume was low and the conversation was nonstop.

Shay had told Dawson about paramedic training and a little bit about her family and friends. Dawson, in turn, told Shay about how her brother transferred to the Chicago Police Department because he'd wanted to work in Vice for awhile. So, she got her bank to transfer her to a Chicago branch and came out to Chicago with him. For every piece of information that Shay shared, Dawson gave something as well. She knew she had to be cautious with what she told Shay, she didn't want to give too much and then suddenly be dropped from the blonde's life.

"I'm glad you liked it."

"You should be a chef."

"I should, huh?" Dawson laughed.

"I just _love_ how _modest_ you are." Shay added, sarcastically.

As the blonde turned to grab the wine glasses from the counter, she nearly collided with Dawson who already had them in her hands. Shay cleared her throat and took the glasses, putting them into the dishwasher. She closed it and turned back to see Dawson leaning against the counter, deep in thought.

Slowly, Shay closed the gap between the two and put her hands on either side of the sink, trapping Dawson.

"Penny for your thoughts?" She asked, quietly, her lips nearly brushing Dawson's ear.

"I uh... I'm not a... Shay," she stuttered in a whisper before putting her hand on Shay's chest, gently pushing her away. She moved away, creating an appropriate distance between the two.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-."

"No, no. Don't be... It's just that... well, I'm not gay." Dawson told her.

Shay hid her smirk before turning around to face the nervous brunette.

"Got it. Friends?"

"Of course. Friends."

A moment of silence passed over the pair before Shay spoke up first. "Well, I should get going. Thanks again for the late dinner."

"Yeah, okay. I'll uh, see you tomorrow, then." It was more of a question than a statement.

"Definitely."

Once Shay had left, Dawson locked the door and leaned against it for awhile. She exhaled and then turned off the lights on her way to her bedroom.

In her car, Shay cleared her throat before grabbing her phone and scrolled through her contact list until she found the number she was looking for.

"Sparkle, what's up? You still want to see me?" Shay asked. She waited for an answer as she heard Sparkle sigh, no doubt trying to figure out why she still wanted Shay whenever she could have her.

"Yeah." Sparkle replied.

"Cool. I'll be there in fifteen." She said, before hanging up and starting her car.

_**Up Next: A few hours with Sparkle, lunch with Severide, and Gabriela hears about Sparkle's night in the dressing room at Nocturnal.**_


	4. The Mess

_**A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you all for the reviews, follows and favorites. I truly appreciate them all. Here's chapter 4. Enjoy. (:**_

_**Chapter 4: The Mess**_

_Sparkle's apartment, Sunday, 6:00, Chicago_

A baby's cries filled the apartment. Shay groaned and grabbed a pillow to put over her head. She had only been asleep for about twenty minutes, spent from the past nearly two-and-a-half hours of sex with Sparkle.

"Lauren, if he wasn't so goddamn cute, I'd be so annoyed." Shay's voice was muffled from under the pillow. Despite the sleep situation, Sparkle smiled at Shay's use of her real name. It was a nice change. She got up, slipped on the t-shirt she'd been wearing before Shay undressed her, and started towards her son's nursery.

"Brayden, why do you insist on waking Mommy up so early?" Sparkle picked up her writhing bundle of joy and kissed all over his face before she sat down in the rocking chair and started to breast feed him.

"You want coffee or tea or something?" Shay asked quietly, standing in the doorway.

"Tea's fine."

Shay nodded and headed off to the kitchen.

When she had gotten to Lauren's place around three-thirty, they'd snuck into the nursery to watch him sleep for a few minutes. Shay had even gently stroked his little fingers before looking at Sparkle and seeing the look in her eyes. The brunette knew that look very well. Lauren wanted Shay. _And who was Shay to deny her any pleasure?_

After they'd drank their tea and baby Brayden was asleep again, Shay kissed Lauren's lips and then her forehead.

"I'm gonna get going. I've got to get some sleep before my shift tonight."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

_Shay's apartment, 1:21PM_

"What?" Shay demanded.

"Is that how you always answer the phone?" Severide queried.

Sleepily, Shay grinned. "Yeah. What's up?"

"You were supposed to be meeting me at Park Grill at one. I've been here for twenty minutes."

Shay rubbed her eyes and struggled to get out of bed. "I'm sorry. I forgot."

"Dammit, Shay! I could have slept in."

"I'm sorry! Ten minutes. I promise. Ten minutes." Shay said, hanging up. She hurriedly brushed her teeth, threw on jeans and a cardigan, and grabbed her wallet before heading out.

_Park Grill, 1:37PM, Chicago_

"Sorry, sorry. I'm here." Shay said. She leaned down, touching her cheek to Severide's in a half-hug. Sitting down across from him, Shay dropped her wallet and cell phone onto the table. Severide had picked an outdoor table so that they could enjoy one of the last few warm days before the autumn cold started.

"Long night?" Severide asked.

"Ugh. The longest." Shay said, rubbing her neck. She looked at him through her lightly tinted aviator sunglasses. "I did a bad thing."

"Honey?"

"Sparkle."

"Oh, come on, Shay. Not again."

"What? I was... a moment of weakness."

"Buying a KitKat bar at the checkout counter is a moment of weakness, Shay. What did you slip and your face landed between her legs?"

Six months ago when Severide had first started to frequent _Nocturnal_, it was clear that Shay and Sparkle were sleeping together. What wasn't clear was that Sparkle was also sleeping with Pain, just one of the many security guards that worked there. Not only was Sparkle having sex with him, but she was already three-and-a-half months pregnant with his son. When Sparkle finally revealed her pregnancy, Shay had pretended that she knew, and that she didn't care, Severide could see that she was a little hurt. There was no doubt in his mind that the blonde was slowly falling for the dancer, but cut things off, sexually.

When Pain suddenly quit and made it clear to Lauren that he wanted nothing to do with her or the baby, Shay made sure that the redhead was taken care of. She'd bought Lauren books about pregnancy, developmental information about babies, and even Brayden's first stuffed animal: a small, baby blue bear with the letter 'B' on its tummy. Even though Sparkle had tried to resume relations with Shay, the blonde let her know that she was only interested in remaining friends.

"Something like that." Shay smirked. She pulled her blonde hair up into a bun atop of her head.

"You're sick." Kelly laughed, looking down at his menu.

Shay's phone buzzed on the table and glanced at it to see '_Honey: iMessage_' printed on the front screen. Unlocking her phone, she skimmed the message and started to reply back when their waitress came over.

"I ordered for you." Severide told Shay, who nodded her approval, still texting.

"Strawberry and almond chicken Caesar salad?" The brown-haired waitress asked. Severide pointed towards Shay.

"And lobster cakes, salmon and mashed potatoes for you." She said, sliding Severide's food in front of him.

"Thanks."

Shay slipped her phone back onto the table and glanced up at the waitress. She did a double take before reading her nametag.

"Thanks, Clarice."

"No problem. Lemme know you need anything else."

"Will do." Shay muttered as Clarice walked away.

"Do you ever get enough?" Severide laughed.

"No. Do you?"

"Nah."

Once they were finished lunch, they pair sat talking for a few minutes. Severide stood up and announced to Shay that he had to 'take a leak'. The blonde picked up her phone again, and bided her time until his return by checking emails.

"Can I get you anything else?" Clarice asked.

"Uh, just the check, thanks." Shay smiled at her.

"You got it." And she was off again.

Two minutes later, Kelly was sitting back across from her. "Clarice is bringing the check."

"And here it is." Clarice interrupted, placing it on the table before rushing off to place food on another table in her section.

Severide picked it up first. He chuckled and handed the check to her. "Read that out loud."

Shay took it and started to read the elegant handwriting at the bottom. "_555-3987. Call me, Blondie!_"

Shay laughed. "That's awesome. I didn't even have to try."

They paid their bill, Shay ripped Clarice's number from the bottom of the bill and the two headed off.

_Nocturnal Gentleman's Club, 9:33PM_

Shay and Severide walked in together and Shay headed to the bar to start her shift.

"We may not need you tonight, Shay," Kimmie told her. "It's totally dead." There were only about eight patrons in the entire establishment. Even though it was a Sunday, it was possibly the driest one that Shay had ever seen. There were usually plenty of dirty old men in the place and the girls, including the bartenders, usually left with pretty good tips.

"I can see that. Just let me know. Has anyone taken the girls' orders yet?"

"Not ye-et." Kimmie singsonged.

Shay knocked on the bar before heading off. "I'll do it."

"I'm sure you will." Kimmie muttered to herself.

Backstage, most of the girls were sitting around, either talking or on their electronic devices.

"Sparkle, hey." Shay acknowledged her most recent sexual endeavor. The redhead smiled and waved her nail polish wand as she blew on her fingernails.

"Hey, Snow, does Honey work tonight?"

"Yes, she does." Dawson replied, walking into the dressing room.

"Who's drinking tonight? First round of shots on me." Shay said.

Four of the seven girls raised their hands, including Gabriela.

Shay nodded and exited the dressing room.

"Okay, ladies, gather 'round, gather 'round. It's storytime." Sparkle squealed, getting their girls' attention. "Y'all will never guess who called me up at three a.m. asking to come over."

"Shay." Everyone said in unison. Everyone except Dawson. She stood at her locker, her hand poised over the combination lock. When she heard Shay's name, her ears immediately perked up. Sparkle glanced at Gabriela's back and smirked. She got a little pleasure out of knowing that she had bedded Shay, yet again. Regardless of whether or not Dawson had slept with Shay didn't matter to Sparkle.

"It was amazing as always. She even held Brayden. She's so good with kids. Which is probably a good thing 'cause if she was a guy, we all know she would most likely have about fifty of 'em runnin' around."

The ladies laughed just as the topic of conversation walked into the room with a tray of shots. Quickly pretending to have been doing anything but gossiping, each girl busied herself with a primping task. The shots were handed out until only one was left.

"Always save the best for last. This one's yours, Honey." Shay said, handing it to her.

"No thanks. I think I'll just head out and start making rounds." Gabriela said.

Shay's voice took on a lower, concerned tone. "Hey. Is everything okay?"

"Peachy," deadpanned Dawson. She shut her locker and moved past Shay to get dressed, before heading out onto the floor.

Shay was confused. She'd been texting Dawson all day and everything seemed fine. The brunette said she wasn't upset about Shay making a pass at her. It only took one glance at the perp to understand what had frustrated Dawson: Sparkle.

"Great." Shay said, knocking back the shot that Dawson had left. "Just freaking great."

_**Up Next: Kelly and Leslie time, a date with Clarice, and much more.**_

_**A/N #2: Chapter 5 will be looonnngggg and it will be utterly angsty. So will chapter 6. But, fret not, this WILL end up with some MAJOR Shawson. (:**_


	5. The Crash & Burn

_**A/N: Teaser about Shay's family in this chapter. Also, I did a few time jumps in this chapter for a greater affect. You'll see what I mean. (: Enjoy.**_

_**Chapter 5: The Crash & Burn**_

_Two weeks later, Shay's apartment, Wednesday, 5:59PM, Chicago_

"Shay?" Severide called out. With two cups of iced tea from a fast food restaurant in his hands and a brown paper bag of food, Kelly stepped over the trails of clothes and single pair of Dr. Marten boots, on his way to Shay's bedroom. She had shot him a text once she'd got home from class and asked him to come over with lots and lots of comfort food.

"Marco." He called out again.

"Polo." Shay said when he entered the bedroom. She was under the covers with her back against the headboard; a MacBook laptop sat atop a large, decorative pillow on her lap.

Severide kicked off his shoes, dropped the bag onto the bed and handed her a coffee.

"Thanks."

"So," he said, climbing into bed with her, "what's wrong?"

Shay grabbed the bag and opened it, looking at all the goodies inside. There was about two handfuls of sugary candy and chocolates ontop of two greasy, wrapped cheeseburgers and two orders of french fries.

"It's Dawson."

"Honey?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

"If I say 'you were right', you have to promise not to say 'I told you so'. Got it?"

"I'm not promising anything."

Shay opened up a pack of sour gummy worms, popping one into her mouth. "I do... like her."

"Well, that much is obvious. What's not obvious is the problem."

"First, she's not gay. And not even remotely bisexual."

"Okay." Severide said, not understanding the issue at hand. Shay had proven more times than one that she was able to change a woman's mind about her sexuality.

"Despite that, I think we could have been really good friends."

"Could have been?"

"I think all of the... talk about me has taken its toll. Though, I never pegged her as the type of person who would let a little gossip get to her."

"My guess is that she just doesn't want to get too wrapped up in the drama. I mean, she's new in town, and she's competing with other women to make money. I just think she's being smart about her options."

"Yeah, I guess." Shay responded. "I've barely heard from her in the last two weeks. And when I see her at the club, it's just a 'hi and bye' thing. I asked her to lunch a couple of times and each time she said she had other plans."

"Maybe she really _did _have other plans."

"Or maybe she's just avoiding me."

"Well, what about that waitress. What was her name?"

"Clarice? I don't know. I'm not sure if she's my type."

"You don't have a type, Shay." Severide drank from his iced tea and looked at Shay. "I think you should just call her and ask her out to dinner. At the very least, she may be a good distraction from your soap opera of a life."

Shay didn't know what was wrong with her. In the past, she'd never been the one to dwell on a girl that she'd only known for a few weeks. Sure, she liked Dawson but if she couldn't have her romantically, she'd definitely settle for a friendship. The brunette was sweet, beautiful and funny and gave pretty good advice. Before Severide, Shay had never really had close confidants, but she was sure that she and Dawson could be the best of friends if the latter would just let them.

After closing Shay's laptop and moving it off of her lap, Severide moved the bag of junk food to the bedside table, opting to save it for later.

"Come here." He said, sliding under the covers. Shay moved closer to him, lying her head onto his broad chest. "Just call Clarice tomorrow and ask her out."

When he felt Shay nod her head in agreement, Severide kissed her the top of her head and held her close to him. With one arm securely around her, he reached for the remote with the other and turned on the TV.

By ten-ten p.m._, _Shay was sound asleep. Severide slipped out of her apartment quietly, and headed to the firehouse for his ten-thirty shift.

_Thursday, 3:13PM_

After her final class, Shay stayed behind for a few minutes to talk to her teacher. She spoke of a friend that already had her EMT certification, but was now ready to receive her paramedic training. Melissa listened, intently, and occasionally nodded her head.

"So, I was just wondering if there's anything that maybe you could do to help her."

"Well, I _do _have a friend in financial aid that is _always _willing to meet prospective students halfway. I'll go see her now and I'll give you a call later on today."

"That's perfect. Thank you so much, Melissa."

"My pleasure, Shay."

Fifteen minutes later, Shay sat in her parked car, responding to text messages and emails. It was then that she decided to take a leap of faith.

"Hello?" The familiar voice answered.

"Clarice," Shay's eyes widened, surprised that she'd actually answered her phone. She thought she'd reach Clarice's voicemail. "Hi, you probably don't remember me, but I'm-."

"Blondie." Clarice interjected, her smile apparent in her tone.

"Yeah... well, no. Leslie. I'm," Shay sighed, trying to get her thoughts together, "I'm Leslie."

There was a small chuckle from Clarice's end. "Hi, Leslie. What's up?"

"I, uh, was just wondering if you'd maybe wanna go for coffee tomorrow around four."

"Ah, I can't. I work at three, but I'm off at nine. How about we grab a late dinner?"

"I can't. I work from five until two in the morning."

"Really? What job has you working at those hours?"

"I'm a bartender."

"That's cool. Where?"

"Nocturnal."

"Well, how about we make it brunch on Sunday, instead?" Clarice suggested.

"That sounds perfect. How about eleven at Toast. It's on Webster Avenue."

"In the Lincoln Park neighborhood?" Clarice inquired.

"That's the one."

"Well, then, I will see you on Sunday at eleven. Don't be late."

"Not a chance."

_7:30PM, Nocturnal Gentleman's Club_

Shay signaled to Monroe that her drink orders were ready and no sooner had she done so, Dawson walked into the club for her shift.

"Hey, Kimmie, can you cover me for a few minutes?"

"Sure thing." Kimmie said, popping her gum.

Shay headed from around the bar and grabbed Dawson's arm before she walked past.

"Hey." Shay started, shyly.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Can I talk to you outside for a few minutes? I kinda have some good news for you."

"Sure."

Standing outside in the parking lot, Dawson zipped up her windbreaker in an attempt to block off the chill outside.

"So, I talked to one of my professors who has a friend in financial aid at South Suburban. She's willing to put you on a monthly payment plan so you won't have to pay tuition all at once. She's already factored in your courses plus field training and instructional technology fees. If you're willing to pay two-hundred-and-sixty-five dollars a month. Plus a little extra for books." Shay smiled.

Dawson's eyes widened and a smile started to play on her lips. "Are you serious, Shay?"

"Yeah. There are new courses starting next month if you're up to it."

Dawson was a loss for words. Instead, she chose to fling her arms around Shay's neck, hugging her tightly. "This is the best news ever! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"No problem."

"Let's go out to celebrate. I work at the bank tomorrow and then here tomorrow night. So, how about breakfast on Sunday?" Dawson suggested, cheerfully.

"Oh... No... I mean, I would love to, but I... I uh, sort of have a date."

"In the morning?"

"Yeah, there's this waitress. And we decided on brunch on Sunday."

"Oh." Dawson said. No matter how easily she thought she'd hidden her disappointment, Shay caught onto it fairly easily. "Oh, okay. Well, then we'll figure something out."

"Yeah. We will."

As the two headed inside, Dawson couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to change. Some for the better, and others... for the worst.

_Sunday, Toast, 11:45AM, Chicago_

Clarice laughed at Shay's jokes. Shay listened and responded when Clarice spoke. The brunette, though a little full of herself, spoke honestly and the blonde respected that. The only dull moments that occupied their time together was when they would stop chatting to eat from their plates or sip from their glasses.

"So, you'll be a paramedic in-."

"A month."

"Congratulations. That's exciting."

"It really is. It's the one thing in my life that makes me feel like... I don't know."

"Like you have a purpose?" Clarice offered.

"Yeah, I suppose so. It's something I've always wanted to do. Help people, ya'know? And now that it's so close, it seems almost surreal."

"Well, the good things usually do."

Shay nodded in agreement, sipping her orange juice through the clear straw. "So, what do you do when you're not waitressing?"

"Paint, mostly. I'm in a little one bedroom apartment with slanted glass windows. It's almost loft-like, which is perfect for me because I love looking at the city. There's a lot of inspiration for painting."

"That's awesome. I take it you've been to the Art Institute of Chicago?"

"Are you kidding? I practically _live _there." Clarice laughed. "Though, I'd like to try some other museums as well. But it takes me nearly two hours to just dissect one piece of art."

"You sound like my mom."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Definitely a good thing. My mom was an artist too. She could stare at _The Port at Argenteuil _for hours just taking in his brush strokes and the colors he'd mixed to create the perfect sky." Shay's nostalgia and sadness was evident in the way she spoke of her mother. Inside, Shay was a mix of emotions. Surprise being one of them. She usually never opened up about her family to anyone. And, yet, here she was, feeling safe enough to bring up her mother.

"She sounds like the perfect woman."

"She is." Shay smiled.

Clarice looked at her watch. "Can you believe it's noon already?"

"Oh wow. We should get going. Your shift starts at twelve-thirty, right?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately."

Shay signaled their waitress for the check. "This was fun."

"It was. I wonder where our next date will be." Clarice hinted.

Shay's smile broadened. "So, this was a date?"

"Well, of course."

"How about I show you my favorite museum on our next date?"

"I'd like that. Very much, actually."

_Three weeks later..._

_Shay's apartment, Wednesday, 6:50PM_

"And just as the idiot was about to ask for her number, I walked back over, totally unaware of the situation, by the way. And she pulled me in for this intense kiss. Needless to say, he backed away with a quickness." Shay chuckled, finishing yet another story about Clarice. She closed the cabinet she was in, after retrieving the bottle of Jack Daniels that she'd been searching for.

Dawson, sitting on Shay's couch with a beer in her hand, nodded with a forced smile on her face. For the past three weeks, all Shay could talk about was her damned waitress girlfriend. Truth be told, Dawson was a little jealous. After Shay had made things happen for Dawson, school-wise, the two had started hanging out a little more. Dawson could see that Shay really was a good person regardless of the dressing room gossip.

Still, there was just one small problem: Clarice. If Shay wasn't blowing off work to spend more time with the brunette waitress, then she was coming in late. And if she wasn't doodling Clarice's name on napkins whenever she and Dawson went out, then she was talking about her. Jealousy had always been one of Gabriela's negative personality traits, but it was a conflicting feeling. On one hand, she felt that she had claim to Shay's friendship as she'd met the blonde first. On the other hand, however, she was the one that rejected Shay's advances.

And now, here she was, forced to listen to yet another, not-so-funny, story about Clarice; all the while wondering what would have happened if she would have given in to her hormones and curiosity and kissed Shay that night in her kitchen.

"So, are you excited about graduating next week?" Dawson asked, changing the subject.

"Definitely. I've talked to Chief Boden at the Chicago Fire Department already. He says he can't wait to have some fresh eyes in his House."

"What about the club? Will you still be bartending there?"

"I don't know yet. I'll see how what my shifts are like."

Dawson nodded, drinking from her beer. "I'm so happy for you. Where are we going to celebrate?"

"Thanks. And I don't know. Clarice wants to go to that new bar that opened up on State Road."

"Where do you want to go?" Dawson asked, her patience slowly wearing thin.

"I wouldn't mind trying that place out. Then maybe going to Benni's Diner and grabbing something to eat."

"That sounds good."

"Yeah, but, it'll probably just be me and you at Benni's. Clarice doesn't like the food there."

"Jesus Christ, Shay!" Dawson said, standing up. She sat her beer on the table, grabbed her black peacoat and started to put it on.

"What? Where are you going?"

"Someplace where I don't have to constantly hear about Clarice."

"What the hell just happened?" Shay asked, truly confused.

"Clarice happened! You don't shut up about her. Lately, all of your sentences start with 'Clarice thinks this' or 'Clarice feels that'. What happened to the Shay that I first met. The one that slept with a woman and never called her again? Huh? Or the Shay that did whatever she wanted no matter what? You need to find that person again because Clarice is turning you into a... whipped little... puppy dog." Dawson finished.

Shay sat her beer down as well and stood a only a foot away from Dawson. Her face had went from utterly confused to a strange sort of calm. The kind of calm that one could clearly see that she was pissed off.

"What? Don't tell me you're jealous, Dawson? Still mad that you were too much of a cowad to take me when you had the chance? When I was offering myself to you? Instead you were only worried about what those sluts at Nocturnal had to say. They sleep with _everyone_, but yet everyone places the blame on Shay, don't they? So, here you are jealous that I've actually started a relationship with a girl like Clarice." Shay knew she should have stopped there but when she was furious there was no stopping her. She had to go in for kill.

"What?" She chuckled, vindictively. "Did you think I'd actually begin a relationship with a stripper?"

Dawson slapped Shay across her face with all of her might. Both of their eyes widened as Shay held her hand across her stinging face. No doubt it would be bright red in a minute. Dawson grabbed her bag off of the couch and headed out of the living room. With Shay still standing in the middle of the floor, holding her cheek, Dawson left the apartment, slamming the door on the way out.

_**Up Next: Hello, again.**_


	6. The New Arrival

_**A/N: I apologize to ANYONE that may be an exotic dancer or know an exotic dancer. I know an awful lot of them (and I should probably rethink my game plan in life!) and some of them aren't **__nearly __**as ruthless as I make them seem in this story. But, you know, creative license and all that. Yadda, yadda, yadda.**_

_**-Hey, fifty points to Gryffindor if anyone can tell me where the hell 'yadda yadda yadda' or 'blase blah' came from. 'Cause I'm curious.**_

_**Chapter 6: The New Arrival**_

Many things changed in the year-and-a-half that passed since Shay and Dawson's argument. Shay's relationship with Clarice took off and they'd become quite serious. Serious enough that they decided to move Clarice into Shay's apartment, since it was a bit bigger. The two lovers seemed happy and completely head over heels for one another. Shay had quit bartending at _Nocturnal _and was working twelve hour shifts, seven days a week with the Chicago Fire Department. Clarice had gotten a nice full-time job at an advertising agency where she could showcase her artistic skills, even if it was for "a large, sell-out company", as the brunette had stated on many an occassion.

Most times Shay could go to _Nocturnal _with Severide and just be doted on by the girls; most because they missed her and others to see what her life was like now. Word had quickly gotten around that Shay was actually in a committed relationship. Some had even gotten the pleasure of meeting Clarice on separate occassions; and as a collective, the girls were merciless, yet unsuccessful, in trying to get Shay to cheat. And yet, there were other times when they would enter the club and Shay would wonder what Gabriela was up to.

_Had she finished training? Where was she working now? Had she met anyone? Or was she even still in Chicago?_

And every now and then, Shay would be hit with the sudden thought that Dawson clearly didn't give a damn about Shay, so why should Shay give a shit about her?

Dawson had finished the nine-month paramedic program at South Suburban College along with her field training. She'd found a job with Elite Ambulance, a private ambulance company, but was told that she was to be transferred to a new position with better pay at a different company. She, too, had quit her moonlighting as Honey at _Nocturnal_. There was nothing at that establishment except bad memories and drama. Some days, she thought about going back on her nights off, just to say 'hi' to the girls... and maybe see if Shay still worked there.

Some nights, guilt weighed heavily on Dawson's heart. Shay was a good friend and Dawson had chastised her for finally falling for a nice girl. The brunette had let her jealousy of Clarice cloud her judgement. And in the end, it was Dawson who had screwed up. Regardless, there were times when she would think about the argument and become angry with Shay all over again.

_Did Shay really think of her as merely some stripper? If she had slept with Shay, would she end up being bitter like the other girls at Nocturnal? And more importantly, how could Shay even blame her for being overwhelmed by the gossip?_

And it was during these times that Dawson thought with gusto, "_Fuck Leslie Shay_."

_Firehouse 51 Quarters, Friday, June, 5:56PM, Chicago_

"...with that being said, I, no... we, are going to miss you entirely too much!" Shay said, holding up her Coca-Cola-filled glass.

"Hell yeah, we will!" Lieutenant Matthew Casey called out, earning a laugh from everyone else.

The firefighters, rescue squad and Shay were having an impromptu farewell party for Shay's partner, Lori Vanderbilt. Lori was being transferred to Engine 11's Quarters a few miles away. She had been Shay's partner since the blonde had completed the paramedic program and it was going to be sad for Shay to see Lori go. Vanderbilt was funny, trusting and extremely good at her job. She showed Shay the ropes and made sure that she felt confident whenever they were out on a call.

"And don't forget to visit us. You'll always have a home here, Vanderbilt." Chief Boden said, raising his glass as well.

"Aw, you guys are the best. I'm going to miss each and everyone of you with all of my heart." Lori said, with her hand on her chest. It was truly bittersweet. Firehouse 51 had been her home for the past five years, but she'd recently gotten married and moved from her apartment to a house, which was considerably closer to Engine 11.

In the midst of the celebration and laughter, the new recruit walked through the doors of the living room, feeling a little bit awkward at interrupting the festivites.

"Hey. Can I help you?" Casey asked.

"Yeah, hi. I'm looking for Chief Boden."

The chief, hearing his name, walked over and extended his hand. "I'm Chief Boden. And you are?"

"The new paramedic-."

"Oh, right, right! Come on. Let me introduce you to the family." He said.

"Hey, guys! Let me get your attention for a minute."

Most of the chatter ceased

"I'd like you all to meet-."

Before Chief Boden could finish his sentence, Shay dropped her glass, and remained completely unaffected when it shattered on the floor. Severide's eyes followed Shay's gaze and he had to refrain from voicing the "_Oh. Shit._" that was currently playing in his mind.

"Gabriela Dawson." She finished for him.

Gabriela's eyes widened a little before she composed herself. Her jaw clenched, giving her beautiful Hispanic features a darkened expression, but inside, her heart was racing like NASCAR.

"You two know each other?" Another firefighter, named Hermann, inquired.

"Not anymore." Dawson replied, cryptically.

"Okaayy, well, make Dawson, here, feel welcome and at home." Chief Boden warned then. He then looked at Dawson. "Welcome to the family."

Gabriela gave him a forced smile before Casey introduced himself and, thankfully, offered to show her to the locker room.

"What the hell was that about?" Lori asked Leslie.

"Just... a little history."

"Dare I ask? Is she a woman you scorned?"

"Nope." Shay said.

"Candidate, can we get this cleaned up, please?" Severide asked. Brian 'Otis' Zvonecek nodded his head and headed to the utility closet for a mop and broom.

"Sorry, Vanderbilt. I need to steal Shay for a minute."

"Go for it. I've gotta get outta here, anyway. Hubby's waiting for me." Lori responded. She pulled Shay in for an embrace. "I'm gonna miss you, girl. We'll do drinks after shift one day this week."

Shay nodded and managed a 'Definitely', before Severide grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her outside.

"Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Because Dawson's here?" Shay said, answering her own question. "Not even."

"Not just because she's here. because she's going to be your new partner. You know, you two will be together twelve and sometimes twenty-four hours a day." Severide explained.

Shay hadn't really thought about it like that. Regardless, she was stubborn and could work with anyone without talking about anything except the task at hand. Even though she knew that wasn't a good thing, especially in her profession, and she knew she had to be able to fully trust her partner, but Shay wasn't going to be the one to apologize first. That was for damn sure.

In the locker room, Casey showed Dawson to an empty locker. The locker next to hers had a piece of masking tape that read "SHAY". Dawson rolled her eyes and gave a light huff.

"Sorry. This is the only empty one left in your row."

"My row?"

"All of the paramedics and EMTs from different shifts have their own rows of lockers. Just like the Rescue Squad has their own. And the firefighters have their own." Casey pointed out.

"Got it." Dawson said, opening the locker.

"So, what's the deal with you and Shay, anyway? Old rivals?"

"Nope. Just the opposite." Dawson told him, unzipping her bag and starting to put a couple of civilian outfits into the locker. "Old friends."

"Ah, so it's worse than I thought."

He earned a half-smile from Dawson. "We had a small fight about a year and a half ago. But, we haven't seen each other since then."

"Well, I may not be the best when it comes to things like that, but I _do _know that whatever the fight was about, it's not worth holding a grudge. Besides, you two should be able to communicate openly and honestly. Your grudge could cost someone their life." Casey explicated, attempting to open her eyes.

Dawson nodded her head as she put her toiletries bag on a shelf. She stopped to look at Casey as if to say, "Are you done yet?"

"Just some food for thought." He grinned playfully, before gently tapping his fist against her arm, making her shift her weight. "Welcome to the family, sis."

He gave her one last smile before he headed off. Dawson smiled and pulled dark hair back and tied it into a low ponytail. She sat down on the bench in the center of the aisle and took a deep breath.

It was going to be a struggle working with Shay, but she knew Casey was right. Besides, how could she not listen to good advice coming from a _very _hot firefighter?

_Oh, yeah, she was definitely going to like it at Firehouse 51._

_**Up Next: And the battle begins.**_


	7. The Festivities

_**A/N: The reviews are awesome. Keep it up! You guys rock. (: Also, this chapter hasn't been beta'd.**_

_**Chapter 7: The Festivities**_

_Jackson Park, Saturday, 2:43PM, Chicago_

For an entire week, the only conversation that Leslie and Gabriela engaged in with each other, was about the patients they were responsible for. Once they'd rushed the victims safely to the hospital, gave a doctor their stats, and signed off on their paperwork, the two women went back to their own personal codes of silence. The only noise in their ambo consisted of light tunes on the radio, Shay's pick of course, and the sporadic horn honks from an impatient Shay.

The tension was thick between the pair, and it was felt by the rest of the crew. When there was down time at the House, Shay would eat, read or watch TV without ever giving a glance in Dawson's direction. Likewise, Dawson would come in and speak to everyone but Shay, who would just roll her eyes.

This particular Saturday, the crew of Engine 51 had decided to reroute their calls to another firehouse and have a barbecue. Chief Boden had hinted to Severide that maybe it would help Shay and Dawson open. A couple of cold beers and good burgers were usually wonderful icebreakers.

Jackson Park was the definition of serenity. It was designed in the style of a classic Japanese garden; featuring a teahouse and several rock gardens. There were reflecting pools and perennial flowers that smelled beautifully. Currently, it was filled with the smoky aroma of two grills cooking steaks, burgers, hot dogs and even kebabs.

"Heeyyy! It's Shay!" Cruz announced from his chair at a picnic table. He lifted his beer slightly as a greeting.

"Hey guys. You all remember Clarice, right?"

"Of course. Grab a couple beers and sit down." Hermann suggested.

"I'll go get us something to drink." Shay said. Before walking off, the blonde placed a quick peck on her girlfriend's lips.

"Awwwwwww!" Hermann, Cruz, Severide and Casey teased. Shay rolled her eyes and Clarice sat down.

"Anyone speak to Dawson?" Casey asked no one in particular.

"Yeah. She texted me this morning and said she'd be here." Otis informed them while walking past.

On another covered picnic table were two large tin tubs filled with ice and a variety of beverages, from sodas and juice boxes for the kids to beer and flavored vodka for the adults. Shay nodded her head approvingly at the selection of drink and finally decided on two glass bottles of the best beer she could find. As she turned around to head back to the table, Shay bumped directly into Dawson, who wasn't paying attention to where she was going.

"Jesus Christ!" Shay huffed, startled.

"Oh god, I'm sorr-." Dawson stopped abruptly when she noticed Shay. Ice blue eyes stared into light browns for a few moments. Expressions changed from concerned for the other person's well-being, to annoyance and anger. Then, when she least expected it, Dawson was sure that she saw Shay's anger replaced with a softer tone, before the blond cleared her throat.

"Y-yeah, uh... whatever. Just d-don't let it happen again." Shay said, sidestepping Dawson.

"Whatever." Dawson shot back before heading towards the drink table.

Back at the table, Clarice was sharing a laugh with Severide, her hand on his arm. Shay handed her a beer and sat down in a spare fold-out chair. Her gaze fell on Gabriela who was walking past with two beers in her hand. She watched the brunette until she sat down with a blonde woman that Shay had never seen before.

_So, she found some new friends. Good for her_, Shay thought, a tad bitterly.

"Alright, the volleyball net is up. Who dares to take me on?" Firefighter Andrew Darden challenged. He tossed a white volleyball back and forth between his palms.

Various answers floated around the table, most of them letting Darden know that he was definitely was not the best volleyball player there was. At every cookout, Andy took his games of volleyball very seriously. He usually talked trash, jokingly, throughout the entire game only for his team to lose because of him. He would be so busy talking crap that he'd miss the alignment of the ball, completely.

"Don't you get tired of losing, Darden?" Shay piped up. She sat her beer down, stood up and held her hands out, gesturing for the ball. The blonde was always captain of the opposing, and winning, team.

"This is my year, Shay."

Once the teams were picked, Darden's team was a player short. Shay had recruited Severide, Oits, Boden and Vargas for her team, while Darden took Cruz, Hermann, and Casey. Unbeknownst to Darden, he was about to start a war.

Darden cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Hey, Dawson! Come join my team! We're a player short!"

Shay rolled her eyes, but refrained from speaking her mind. Severide playfully pushed Shay, making her shift her weight to keep from falling. Looking from team to team, already in their playing positions on opposite sides of the volleyball net, Dawson didn't want to be a spoilsport. She looked over at her friend, as if to ask if she'd be okay. The leggy, blonde woman nodded her head, urging Dawson to play.

"Serve!" Mouch yelled from his referee seat along the sidelines. Hermann served, sending the ball soaring perfectly above the net.

"Got it!" Otis yelled, using his fists to bump the volleyball back over the net.

Back and forth the ball went for several turns before it finally landed on the ground by Darden's feet.

"One to zip. Shay's favor." Mouch commented. Shay and Severide bumped fists and the other members of her team celebrated the victory of their first point.

* * *

_4:20PM_

With the final score tied twenty-four to twenty-four, the competitive nature of all ten adults was intense.

"Serve!"

Severide served the ball and watched as it sailed over the net and Cruz used his head to bump it towards Casey who bumped it to Dawson with just enough leverage for her to spike it over the net. The ball hit Shay directly on the cheek with an audible _SMACK_!

"Ah, shit!" She yelled, holding her face.

"Shay, are you okay?" Severide asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Mouch, get her some ice in a napkin."

"No! It's alright. I'm fine. Just stings a little, is all." Shay insisted. The group of players nodded and looked around, awkwardly, not knowing how to handle the situation.

Darden called a tie and called a time-out. Every slowly started to disperse for alcoholic beverages and something to eat.

"Hey, Shay! Same cheek, huh?" Dawson said, spitefully. There was a slight smirk on her face and her tongue pushed against the corner of her mouth. She turned her back to head back towards her friend. Shay picked up the volleyball and, singlehandedly, flung it under the net and smiled when it hit Dawson's back.

"Ahh!" Dawson groaned.

"Oops." Shay said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Dawson ran under the net, and before the blonde knew it, she was on the ground. Dawson was ontop of her about to deal yet another smack to Shay's face. Shay grabbed Dawson's wrist before the blow could land and rolled them over. Each with a fistful of the other's hair, the commotion was noticed when Shay yelled, "You bitch!"

"Chick fight!" Severide chuckled, as he pulled Shay off of Dawson.

"Hey, hey, hey. Break it up. Break it up." He told the two women, calmly. "That's enough. What kind of example are you setting for the children."

"She started it." They said in unison.

"Real mature, ladies."

"Shay. Dawson. I think you two ought to head home and cool off. And I want to see you both in my office first thing tomorrow morning. If you are not there by eight-oh-one AM, there will be some serious repercussions. Do I make myself clear?" Chief Boden demanded, quietly. He didn't want to alert the kids by raising his voice. The children had already paused their own game of flag football to watch the two women wrestling on the ground.

"Yes, sir." Both Dawson and Shay answered him. They headed back to their respective partners, grabbed their things and started towards their cars.

"Well, this has been an eventful day." Hermann said, nodding his head.

_**Up Next: Punishment... and an attempt to make up.**_


	8. The Repercussions

_**A/N: Sorry, guys. I stopped my updates for awhile because I didn't think that anyone was reading this story. Thought I was writing it for my health. But since a few of you have asked me to continue, here's chapter 8. (: Enjoy.**_

_**Chapter 8: The Repercussions**_

_Sunday, Firehouse 51, 7:54AM_

With her hands inside of her jacket pockets, Dawson walked into Chief Boden's office; her pace slowing when she saw her blonde counterpart was already seated. She rolled her eyes and sat in the spare chair next to her. Shay's right foot, situated on her left thigh, began to shake and her blood began to boil when she saw the brunette sit down. She bit down on her bottom lip, but it didn't help.

"What's your problem with me, Dawson?" Shay asked, abruptly.

"I don't have a problem with you, Shay." Dawson replied, curtly. She leaned back in the chair, extended her legs and crossed them at the ankles.

Chief Boden arrived then, clearing his throat and closing his office door. As he crossed around his desk, Dawson spoke.

"Sir, I would like to-."

"Don't speak." Boden commanded. "You two will listen and listen good. I _will not _tolerate that kind of behavior amongst my staff. I don't know what happened between you and I don't care to know. But, together, you both are the team of paramedics that this firehouse has. You _will _find a way to work this out! And you _will _apologize to the rest of this House for the embarassing performance you put on in front of them! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, sir."

"And until the issue is resolved between you two, you will be on a double shift."

"Chief!" Shay protested.

"I don't want to hear it! Now, I suggest you start with taking inventory of your ambulance and restocking it, if need be." Chief Boden paused, looking back and forth between the two women. "Dismissed."

"Sir, I'd-."

"Dismissed." He repeated, leaning back in his chair. His elbows rested on the arms of the chair and he pressed his fingertips together.

Frustrated, the two women stood from their seats and headed towards the door, opening it and shutting it on their way out. Turning the corner, Shay nearly collided with Severide, who had been waiting for her to step out of the office. Dawson kept walking.

"So, are you suspended?" He asked.

"No. Worse. I've got a double shift."

"Well, at least it's good money."

Shay rolled her eyes and pushed past Severide. "I've got to stock the ambo and make nice with my favorite partner ever."

In the trucking station, Dawson and Shay sat in the back of their ambulance and started their inventory checklist.

"Make sure those go in bin number four." Shay instructed, marking off an item on the clipboard.

"It's not my first day on the job." Dawson responded. Her tone suggested that Shay had better back off before the Latina came out of her.

"Whatever, man." Shay said. For a few moments, they were silent while Dawson packed bin four with packs of sterile needles and gloves.

"So, who was the blonde bimbo you were with at the barbecue?"

Dawson blew breath out of her mouth, her cheeks inflating and deflating. "First off, she's not a bimbo. And second, why do you care?"

"I don't. I'm just trying to make polite conversation." Shay smirked.

"Your manners are impeccable." Dawson spat back, her words dripping with sarcasm.

"Don't be so sensitive, Dawson."

"Says the woman who's pussy-whipped."

"Ooo. Nice one." Shay shot back. "At least, I'm getting some pussy."

"And who says I'm not?" Dawson asked, distractedly. When her own words dawned on her, she closed her eyes, mentally kicking herself for blurting them out.

Shay dropped the pen she was using. Not caring, she looked down at Dawson and tried to hide the smile that was growing on her face.

"I knew there was a little fish eater inside of you. I can always tell when women don't really want to be eating sausages, ya know?"

"You know what, Leslie? You are vile and annoying." She stood up and hopped out of the ambulance.

"Get back here. We've got to finish this inventory." Shay yelled.

"Finish it your damn self." Dawson shouted, walking back into the living room area.

Shay was amused. Sure, she was being completely a little bit of an ass, but Dawson just made it so easy. With ease and little time, Shay completed the inventory, signed off at the bottom of the checklist and handed it into the chief.

Around nine, breakfast was served, and with everyone around the common room, eating, Hermann was the first to speak.

"Hey, Otis can you hand me a knife?" Hermann asked.

"Why? You're eating cereal." Otis responded.

"Yeah, I just wanna see if I can cut the tension in here with a knife." Hermann said. Severide laughed into his plate, nearly choking on the chunk of Southwestern omelet in his mouth.

Gabriela looked across the table to see Leslie looked back at her while drinking from her glass of orange juice. Shay sat her glass down, eyes still locked on Dawson's. She straightened her magazine, cleared her throat and then looked down at the article she was reading. Dawson's eyebrows furrowed, unsure of why Leslie had been looking at her.

"Shay, Dawson. How are those team building exercises coming along?" Chief Boden said as he walked through the common room.

"Going great, chief." Shay replied, barely looking up from her magazine.

"Peachy." Dawson added, sliding her finger around rim of her coffee mug.

"That's the spirit." Boden deadpanned.

_Monday, Firehouse 51, 8:15AM_

The following morning as most of the firefighters and squad members were grabbing their bags to head home, Shay sat in front of the TV, flicking through the channels. Dawson stood in the kitchen with an overhead cupboard open, trying to decide between tea or coffee. She and Leslie had still barely spoken to each other except at the scene of an accident.

"Hey, babe." Dawson heard Shay said. She grabbed a box of black tea bags and closed the cupboard. When she turned around, Clarice was walking through the doorway of the common room. Shay stood up from her place on the couch and hugged her girlfriend before placing a kiss on the brunette's lips.

"Hey. I was on my way to work and I thought I'd stop by. See how the double shift is going." Clarice said. "Hey, Dawson."

Despite how Shay felt about Dawson, Clarice remained neutral. Shay hadn't told Clarice that she was the subject that started the argument between she and Dawson. She'd only told Clarice that the former stripper felt that she was spending more and more time with Clarice and less time, hanging out. Truth be told, Clarice had felt a little guilty; sure, she loved spending time with Shay, but she never wanted to be the center of a fight between two friends who were also just getting to know one another.

Gabriela gave a forced smile, nodded her head and put her hand up in a half-way. She turned her attention back towards the tea she was preparing.

"It's going. We weren't really busy last night. Two car accidents and a refrigerator fell on some dude." Shay told her.

Clarice nodded. She sat on the couch and Dawson realized her voice had gotten noticeably lower.

"Have you two spoken? Worked things out?" Clarice muttered.

Shay shrugged and picked at a stray piece of fabric on her pants. "Not really."

"Well, I think you should. And if you don't fix it, I will." Clarice said, standing back up. Before Shay could protest, Clarice addressed Gabriela. "Hey, Gabby, I'm cooking a fabulous dinner tonight and I'd love it if you could make it."

Gabriela's eyes widened and the tea kettle she was holding nearly slipped from her hands. Composing herself, she turned around to face Clarice. "Oh, god, that's... you know, real sweet, Clarice, really, but I don't-."

"I won't take 'no' for an answer. I'll see you both at nine sharp." She demanded. She kissed the top of Shay's head and started to walk out.

"Clarice, really I can't ma-."

"Nine sharp!" Clarice yelled over her shoulder and pushed her way through the double doors.

It was clear that there was no room for argument; when Clarice wanted something, she got it. No questions, comments or concerns were valid except her own. And now, here Dawson was, forced to take instructions from Shay's girlfriend.

Shay stood up from the couch, her expression a little humbled, and crossed the room to stand at the breakfast bar. She nervously smoothed her hair with her hand and cleared her throat. The blonde opened her mouth as if she were about to say something, but Dawson beat her to the punch.

"Can't you just tell her that I got sick or I was really tired or something?"

Shay leaned her forearms onto the marble counter and looked at Dawson. "Listen, uh, I know you don't want to go, and the idea doesn't really turn me on either, but... if you don't go, she'll be mad at me."

It was Dawson's turn to clear her throat. She looked down at her mug of tea, watching as the steam rose higher, and sighed. Within a few heartbeats, a few thoughts ran through her mind. Maybe the dinner could be a good opportunity for them to work out their differences. The idea of sitting across a dinner table with Clarice didn't sound too hot, but at least she could spend more time with Shay.

_Wait, what? No! I want to spend less time with her. LESS, Gabriela! __**Less**_, Dawson thought to herself.

"Fine." She heard herself saying, and immediately felt the mental kick.

_**Up Next: Dinner with Clarice and Shay**_


	9. The Meal

_**A/N: Short, but necessary. (: Enjoy. **_

_**Chapter 9: The Meal**_

_Monday, Shay's apartment, 9:03PM_

Knocking on the oak and steel door of Shay's apartment, Dawson looked at her watch and sighed. Unconsciously, she pushed a tendril her ombre hair behind her ear and then dropped her hand, angry at herself for trying to make herself presentable. Her plan was to sit there, only speak when spoken to, and have as many drinks as possible without impairing her ability to drive.

Shay answered the door, looking Dawson up and down, before moving to the side and allowing Dawson to enter.

"Listen," Shay started, "can we just make this as painless as possible? Laugh a few times, toast to happiness and friendship, eat and be done?"

Dawson glared at Shay and lifted the bottle of Belvedere vodka that she'd brought. "Believe me, I don't wanna be here anymore than you want me here."

Shay grabbed the bottle from Dawson's hand. "Thank god. 'Cause all Clarice bought was wine."

Once the pleasantries and greetings were said and done, Shay and Dawson were forced out of the kitchen whilst Clarice put the finishing touches on her exquisite meal. Bringing to shot glasses with them, the plopped onto the couch, one that Dawson hadn't remembered Shay having.

"New furniture?" Dawson asked.

"Huh?" Shay looked up from opening the vodka. "Oh. Yeah. New furniture."

"Your idea?" Dawson took the shot that Shay offered, sarcasm in her words. "Or Clarice's?"

"Are you saying I can't think for myself?"

"Your words not mine."

The two women knocked back the first of four shots before they were called to the table by Clarice.

With a little alcohol in her system, Dawson appeared calm and collected, evening engaging in conversation with Shay. Even without her full mental clarity, thanks to the vodka, Dawson could tell that something was off about Clarice. She liked to be heard but didn't like to listen and hearing her cut Shay off mid-sentence was beginning to get infuriating. Still, it was not her place and none of her business. If Shay wanted to be with this woman, Dawson was staying out of it.

That didn't stop her from starting a dialogue between she and Shay to let the blonde get a word in; a conversation that could potentially destroy the evening.

"Shay, you'll never guess who I ran into a couple of days ago." Dawson began.

"Oh yeah? Who?" Shay sipped from the pink moscato wine.

"Sparkle. Or, I guess I should say Lauren. Since she's not Sparkle anymore."

Shay paused. Sat her wine down. She looked at Clarice out of the corner of her eye, and cleared her throat.

"Really? How's she doing? How's the baby?" Shay questioned.

"Who's Lauren?" Clarice demanded, albeit sweetly.

"Just a girl that used to work at Nocturnal with Dawson and me."

"And I." Clarice corrected her.

"Yeah." Shay said. When she picked up her wine glass this time, she took more than a sip. By the time she sat the glass back down, it was nearly finished.

Dawson looked at Clarice and smiled, before putting another forkful of steak in her mouth.

It was Clarice's turn to clear her throat. She smoothed the hem of the white, cloth napkin in her lap and when she spoke again her voice held the same faux cheer that it always did. "Well, I'm just going to give you two some time to work out your differences."

Standing up, Clarice placed her napkin on her plate and walked off towards the living room. When she was out of earshot, Shay looked at Dawson, unamused.

"Real nice. Bringing up Lauren." Shay hissed, standing up as well. She stacked the plates that they'd used, excess food and all, and started into the kitchen. Dawson grabbed their wine glasses and followed her.

"How was I supposed to know that Lauren was an off-limits subject? Besides, I was only trying to make conversation. Every time you started to speak, she cut you off." Dawson explained.

Simultaneously, they placed the dishes on the counter and Shay began the task of scraping the leftover food into the small garbage bin. Even as they kept low voices, the emotion in their words was undeniable. Anger and agitation sputtered from their lips with every line of dialogue.

"Oh really? You didn't know my ex-sex partner was an_ off-limits subject_? And she did not."

"Did too! And she corrects your grammar like you're six years old."

They were standing by the sink, face-to-face.

"Why do you even care?"

"Because it's not okay. You're not a baby, Leslie. She doesn't have to treat you like you're inferior to her just because she has some fancy college degree. I mean, why do you even put up with that crap?"

"Because I love her," replied Shay.

"Well, I guess what they say is true: love is blind." Dawson commented. She turned the water on, and placed the glasses underneath the steady stream.

"Are you saying I'm blind to Clarice's flaws?"

"Oh, honey, you are goddamn Helen Keller when it comes to Clarice's flaws."

"And you're just Saint Gabriela with all of your perfect charm?"

"No, but at least I know when I'm being treated poorly by someone."

"And, what, you beat them up and don't talk to them for a year and a half?" Shay snorted.

"No, I saved that especially for you."

Together, they started to arguing over one another, not really listening, only trying to get their own points across.

"...a real relationship if it bit you on the ass." Dawson hissed.

"...ever get laid again if you keep acting like a child!" Shay finished at the same time. They looked at each other for a heartbeat before Shay put her hand on the back of Dawson's head, pulling the brunette flush against herself. She pressed her lips against Dawson's.

It was only seconds before her their tongue were fighting for dominance. The softest, lightest moan escaped Dawson's lips before she came to her senses and pushed Shay away.

"What the hell, Shay?"

"Oh, god. That was... I didn't mean... I'm sorry, I-."

"I should go." Dawson said, her chest heaving and her lips tender.

"Yeah... uh, lemme, walk you out."

"That's okay. I know where the door is."

Walking out of the kitchen, Dawson braced herself to face Clarice, who was sitting on the couch, watching TV.

"I'm off, Clarice. Got an early start tomorrow morning. Thanks for dinner. It was lovely." She said, quickly.

"Oh, no problem. I'm glad you could make it." She stood up, embracing Dawson.

_Not that you gave me a choice_, Dawson thought, hugging Clarice awkwardly.

Dawson headed out, shutting the door behind her. She walked to her car, brusquely, chastising herself, the only thing on her mind was if it was too late to call out of work tomorrow morning.

_**Up Next: Severide guesses. Shay talks. Dawson avoids.**_


	10. The Aftermath

_**A/N: Sorry about the wait, lovers. It's not edited, but it's posted. (: So, put down your torches and pitchforks. Thanks.**_

_**Chapter 10: The Aftermath**_

_Tuesday, 1:04AM, Dawson's apartment_

Sleep had become an after thought. Black, cotton pajama pants and a white tank top had replaced her dark jeans and chiffon top. Dawson paced her living room floor, her hands moving as she gave herself a pep talk. She could do this. Calling out of a work wasn't an option.

_But that _fucking _Leslie Shay._

Dawson plopped onto the couch, exhaling an exasperated sigh. Leaning her head against the back of the couch, the brunette interlaced her fingers over her belly.

"I need a drink." She breathed to herself. Standing back up, she headed to her kitchen.

It didn't take long. Just two beers, three shots of Honey Jack Daniels, and a couple of swigs from the bottle of spiced rum she'd gotten on a trip to Jamaica a couple years back. Before long, she was stumbling around her own apartment, bumping into pieces of furniture that she swore she wasn't there before she got wasted. It was unlike Dawson to drink until she couldn't remember why she was drinking. For the first time in her entire life, Gabriela Dawson had a strange problem that she couldn't solve.

Before she fell onto her bed, Dawson pulled the small trashcan out of her en-suite bathroom and sat it on the floor next to her.

_Tuesday, 1:06AM, Shay's apartment_

Clarice slept soundly on the right side of Shay's platform bed. Shay, on the other hand, changed position every three minutes. She wasn't asleep. Thoughts ran through her mind a mile a minute, and emotions flowed through her veins.

_Frustration. Annoyance. Anger. Regret._

But the most powerful: _confusion_.

It was _fucking _Dawson.

To be honest, the Latina was the best partner that Shay had. Sure, Vanderbilt had shown Shay the ropes and had made her laugh when the chips were down, but Dawson-.

Dawson was a completely different breed of woman. She was sexy, funny, interesting, intelligent and despite the blow between them, she'd been a good friend. Shay tried to take a huge step back and see where Gabriela was coming from. Sure, Clarice had taken over her life a little. Perhaps Shay had talked too damn much about Clarice. And yeah, Shay and Clarice had begun to think as one brain: Clarice's. But, Dawson should have been the type of friend that just said: "Shay, shut up about Clarice, already" and passed Shay another beer.

Another bout of frustration flew through Shay's body as she huffed and puffed, turning onto her side again. She poked her calf and foot from under the cover and squeezed her pillow, trying to elevate it a little higher.

_Maybe I shouldn't have given up on her_, Shay thought.

Blowing air out of her mouth, Shay looked at the clock again.

"Shit." She sighed.

_Engine 51 Firehouse, 8:23AM_

Shay poured herself a bowl of cereal and hovered over the kitchen counter, poking the milk-splattered sugary corn flakes. Severide poked her side before resting his arm around her neck.

"Shay, what's goin' on? You've been moping around sense we started shift." He observed, taking the spoon from her hand.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Alright. How'd dinner go last night?" He asked, popping a spoonful of_ Frosted Flakes _into his mouth.

Shay sighed and tapped her fingers against the counter. "Fine. It was.. it was fine. Good. Dinner was great. You know... a little conversation. A little alcohol... actually a lot. A lot of alcohol. And food. And uh, yeah-."

Severide's chewing slowed to a complete stopped. He sat the bowl of cereal back down and lowered his voice. "Did you guys have a three-way?"

"What? Kelly, no! There wasn't a three-way. God!" Shay exclaimed.

"But there was... _something_." It was more of a question than an observation.

Shay sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning before closing her eyes for a few moments. "I kissed Dawson." She mentioned, hurriedly. Walking off towards the locker room, Shay was keenly aware of Severide on her heels.

His bowl of cereal forgotten on the counter, Kelly chuckled. "Wait, wait. What do you mean you kissed her?"

"I-I don't know. One minute we were arguing. The next thing I knew, we were kissing."

"Well, wait. Did she kiss you back? Was it mutual?" Kelly questioned.

Entering the locker room, Shay looked down a few aisles, making sure the coast was clear. She didn't want anyone hearing about her embarassing drama. Truth be told, she didn't even want Severide knowing. He asked questions, gave advice and made the situation a lot harder for Shay to process.

Hands in her pants pockets, Shay stood in front of Severide, looking up at him. "Kelly, I don't know. It happened so fast. And then she left."

"Look," he started, putting his arm around her shoulder, "just talk to her. See where her head is at. Maybe she's not even worried about it. Unless... you know, you want her to be worried about it. Do you?"

"Yes! I mean, no... I mean, I _love _Clarice. I _want _to be with Clarice, but-."

"Then _talk _to her." Severide interrupted. "Talk to Dawson. Tell her you're sorry for the awkward lunge at her."

Shay nodded. "Mhm. Mhm. You're right. You're totally right."

By nine-thirty, Shay and Dawson were out on call. They'd followed behind a fire truck to a scene where a man had gotten his hand stuck in the garbage disposal. Casey and Severide worked to manually unhook the pipes and sinktop. Once he was freed, Dawson took over, immediately wrapping his hand and holding the pressure while they led him to the ambulance.

Shay hopped into the driver's seat, after they'd lifted him into their ambo, and sped towards the hospital.

Upon arrival, Dawson spouted off the patient's stats and handed him over to a doctor. As Shay signed off of the 'delivery', Dawson stood there awkwardly, picking at her nails.

"I'm gonna be in the ambo." She suddenly announced.

"Wait, Dawson." Shay said, scribbling her signature on the sheet. She ran after her partner. "We need to talk."

"About what?"

"You know what? The," the blonde looked around, "kiss."

"What about it?"

"I don't know, uh, how about the fact that it happened?" Shay said, sarcasm dripping from her words.

Dawson walked around to the passenger side, climbing it. Shay opened the driver's side and sat in the seat, not putting the keys in the engine. Not even bothering to shut her door.

"Shay." Dawson warned.

"We're not going anywhere until we talk about this." Shay told her, staring out of the windshield.

A few moments past in silence.

Dawson blew air out of her nose, annoyed, before pivoting in her chair to look at Shay's profile.

"Fine. We kissed. It was wrong. It was bad. It was a mistake." She turned back towards the windshield, before looking back to the still-silent Shay. "Right?"

The blonde's head snapped to look at Dawson. "Yeah. I mean, yes, yes, it was a mistake." She nodded, closing her door.

Starting the ignition, Shay put the truck into 'drive' and started back towards the firehouse.

_**Up Next: A year and a half later...**_


	11. The Breakup

_**A/N: This chapter was inspired by Dawson's line "I'm sorry, but I am not going to pretend like I don't remember peeling you off the floor after that woman broke your heart." Enjoy.**_

_**Chapter 10: The Breakup**_

_A year and a half later..._

_Shay's apartment, Saturday, December, 11:30AM_

Shay took the stairs two at a time on the way to her apartment door. Unlocking it with her key, she glanced at the Michael Kors watch on her left wrist; a gift from Clarice. She and Dawson had about fifteen minutes to get the ambo back to the House before the next paramedics started shift. Shay had talked Dawson into stopping for something to eat before they headed back. They'd gotten breakfast and since Shay's apartment was on the way back to the firehouse, the two had stopped so Shay could drop breakfast off to Clarice.

The paramedic walked into her apartment and called out to her girlfriend. A red-nosed Clarice turned a corner, wiping her eyes. Shay's eyes shifted between Clarice's tear-streaked face and the duffel bags in either of her hands.

"Clarice? What's going on?"

Clarice sniffled. "I, uh... I left you a letter."

"Wha-. A letter. What for? What's going on?"

"Shay, I have to, uh, I have to leave."

"Why? Is it your dad? Did his heart get worse? Can I help with anything?"

"No."

"Clarice, I'm a-."

"No, it's not my dad, Leslie. I just have to go."

Realization shot through Shay like a lightning bolt. She dropped the bag of food she had been holding. Walking to Clarice, the brunette took a quick step back. She winced at Shay's hand on her hand.

"Clarice-."

"Shay, please. Just... don't. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

Tears formed in Shay's eyes, threatening to spill over. "Clarice, let's talk about this. I mean-. Is it something that I'm doing. Is it my work hours? I can cut back. I can be here more. Please. I can be who you want me to be. Just tell me who you want me to be."

Shay's eyes had become rapids and the waterfalls spilled down her reddened cheeks.

"That's just it, Shay. I'm tired of trying to turn you into the person that I want to be with. I'm sick of telling you how to talk. How to act in public. I'm sick of teaching you which fork is the salad fork. Or how you put the fabric softener in during spin cycle only."

"Spin cycle-. Wha-. Clarice!" Shay breathed out, truly perplexed. She had done everything Clarice had asked of her.

The blonde put her hand on her chest, her heart suddenly pumping too quickly. Her pulse quickened and her chest heaved. The panic attack was starting. The horn on the ambulance sounded; a warning from the impatient Dawson.

Clarice sidestepped Shay and she started towards the door. Shay followed behind her, grabbing ahold of Clarice's right wrist.

"Clarice, don't do this!" The tears fell freely and her voice pleaded for her lover.

"Shay, stop this. It's what's best for both of us." Clarice said. "We both deserve better."

When she got to the front door, Clarice paused before opening it, walking out and shutting it behind her.

Shay kicked the glass coffee table with everything in her, sending it gliding across the hardwood floors towards the fall, shattering into thousands of piece. She slammed her back into the wall, sliding down it until her butt hit the floor and her knees were at her chest. She sobbed uncontrollably, trying not to succumb to the panic attack that threatened to make her go vasovagal syncope.

Outside, Dawson was just leaning over to honk the horn of the double-parked ambo once again, when she saw Clarice brusquely push open the door of the apartment building. With two bags in her hands, and red features, Clarice walked to her car and shoved her bags in the backseat.

Dawson rolled her eyes before sliding over into the driver's seat. As Clarice pulled off, Dawson reversed into the parking spot before locking up, jumping out and heading towards Shay's apartment.

Just as Shay had done, Dawson took the stairs two at a time. Opening the unlocked door, Dawson jumped, startled by Shay's sniffling . The blonde had her head in her lap, arms wrapped around her knees.

Dawson immediately dropped to her knees next to Shay, putting her arm around her saddened friend. She rubbed Shay's back and simply allowed her to cry.

Ten minutes later, Dawson's head shot up in remembrance.

"Shay, I have to take the ambo back. But I'm going to grab our bags, clock us out and I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise. Do you want me to bring Severide back with me?"

Sobs overwhelmed Shay as she tried to speak. When that became a task in itself, she simply nodded.

"Okay. I'll be right back. No more than twenty minutes." Dawson promised.

_Firehouse 51, Chicago, 11: 59AM_

Pulling the ambulance back into the warehouse, Dawson hopped out and ran through the double doors into the common area.

"Has Severide gone home yet?" Dawson inquired to anyone who would answer.

"No, what's up?" Severide asked.

Dawson whipped around to see the muscular fireman with his gym bag resting upon his shoulder.

"We've got an emergency at Shay's."

"What? Is she okay? What happened?"

"It's Clarice. She left Shay."

"Damn it." He cursed. His eyes shut for a millisecond before snapping open again. "Does she need anything?"

"Just you and me. And, knowing Shay, probably a whole gallon of strawberry banana frozen yogurt."

"Got it. I'll get the fro-yo. Meet you at Shay's?"

Dawson nodded before racing to the locker room. She opened her locker and Shay's, grabbing their gym bags and stuffing them with the necessities. She slammed the lockers back and headed practically jogged towards her car.

Back at Shay's apartment, Dawson opened the still unlocked door. Shay was no longer by the door crying. Dawson walked further into the dwelling and called out for her friend.

"Shay, where are you?"

Dawson walked down the hallway, looking in the bathroom and the guest room, before heading to Shay's bedroom.

There, lying on the floor, was Leslie Shay. The blonde was unmoving, her eyes were open, staring at nothing.

"Shay?"

Leslie sniffled, but still didn't respond. Dawson dropped to her knees and lie on the floor next to her.

"Don't you think the bed would be more comfortable?" She asked.

Shay gave a half-shrug.

"Do you want me to get you a pillow?"

Shay was silent. She just wanted to wallow in the self-pity and the mess that was her love life. It didn't matter if anyone was around or if she had a pillow under her head. Nothing mattered now. Her whole existence had packed up every article of clothing she owned and walked out on Shay.

When the blonde spoke, it was so low, that Dawson had to ask her to repeat herself.

Shay sniffled again and cleared her throat, trying to speak louder. Her voice crackled. "S-she, uh, left a letter."

"A letter? Saying what?"

Shay opened her balled up fist to reveal a piece of pale pink stationary paper that she'd balled up. Dawson took it from her hand, turned on her stomach and propped herself up onto her elbows. She uncrumpled the paper and smoothed it as much as she could in order to read it properly.

_Shay,_

_I'm sorry for the way I'm leaving. Yes, I'd agree that it's a coward's way out, but I had to. I couldn't stand seeing the heartbroken look on your face. I feel like we're at a stand still. Like this domesticated life is all we'll have for the rest of our lives. We don't live like we used to. I'm used to hanging out at bars with my friends and we don't do that any longer. I feel like I've become a '50s housewife and that just isn't me. I love you and a piece of me always will._

_Clarice_

"Bitch." Dawson muttered.

"Yo! Anybody home?" Severide's voice yelled.

"In Shay's room!"

A few moments passed before Severide appeared in Shay's doorway.

"Oh, this is just pathetic. Shay, this girl obviously doesn't deserve your tears."

Dawson gave him a look. Severide shrugged his shoulders and then walked to the other side of Shay. He, too, laid down beside her. Shay rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

Severide turned his head to look at Shay. "She's a bitch. It's okay if you wanna say it. Say she's a bitch."

"She's a bitch!" Dawson yelled.

"Bitch!" Severide shouted. He nudged Shay's side.

"_Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch_!" Shay screamed. "Uggggggghhhhhh! How could she do this to me?!"

The blonde broke down, her body suddenly overcome with heavy sobs. Severide cuddled up to her, stroking her hair gently, while Dawson grabbed Shay's hand, squeezing it tightly.

_**Up Next: Back to work. Dawson takes Shay to Nocturnal to cheer her up.**_


	12. The Reawakening

_**A/N: So, I had this chapter pretty much 3/4 of the way complete and my damn thumb-drive broke so I had to re-write the entire thing and I still don't think it was as good as the first copy. BUT, it's taken me forever to write this version because I wanted to close out a couple of my other stories. So, now I only have three other stories in the making instead of five. So, sorry for the wait. Also, lyrics in this chapter are 'Songs That Remind Me Of You' by Daley. I recommend listening to it.**_

_**I hope you guys enjoy this one. **_

_**PS. Are you guys even still with me? Lol. If not, I'll just close this story out.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 12: The Reawakening**_

_Two weeks later..._

_Friday, Firehouse 51, Chicago, 3:30PM_

Dawson found Shay in the locker room, sitting on the wooden bench in the center. She was lacing up her black boots. The Latina smiled at her best friend and plopped down in front of her, legs on either side of the bench.

"What?" Shay demanded. She wasn't really in the mood for Dawson's perky demeanor.

"I'm sick of your sulking and I'm sick of you being depressed over this girl. It's been too long since we've hung out."

"We just hung out last night." The blonde responded.

"Outside of your apartment, Shay." Dawson clarified. "That being said, we're going out tonight."

"No we're not."

"Oh, but we are, Blondie. You've been avoiding the world for fourteen days and that's just sad. So, I'll pick you up at nine."

"I won't be ready because I'm not going." Shay deadpanned. She pulled her hair back into a quick bun.

Dawson patted her shoulder in faux sympathy. "Be ready or I'll dress you myself."

She hopped up and headed out of the locker room before Shay could respond.

"I won't be ready." Shay muttered to thin air.

She appreciated that Dawson wanted to cheer her up by showing her a good time, but she just didn't want to socialize. All Shay wanted to do was wallow in her own self-pity and each a gallon of ice cream. She wasn't trying to be difficult in the least.

But if she was honest, Shay liked having Dawson to comfort her. The brunette had been at Shay's apartment everyday since the breakup. She'd cooked, watched movies with Shay and even ran a bubble bath or two for her best friend. It was nice having someone around who could make her chuckle, even when she wanted to burst out crying.

So, the only thing Shay could do to return the favor would be go out with Dawson. Right?

_Nocturnal Gentlemen's Club, Chicago, 9:39PM_

The club was packed even though it was still early. But, it was Friday, and no doubt a pay week for most. So, Shay and Dawson pushed through the throng of men who were hooting and hollering at the half-naked women in the establishment. At the bar, Kimmie was bartending.

"Honey! Long time, no see." The half-Japanese, half-Black woman greeted. "And I see you brought Shay as well."

"Well, we missed you girls. Figured we'd come and say hi."

Shay reached over the bar and took the bottle of vodka in Kimmie's hand. She pulled out the control spout and pressed the top of the bottle to her lips, drinking deeply. The alcohol burned something fierce, but Shay was too focused on getting drunk to care about much else.

"And it appears that _she _brought her problems with her." Kimmie chuckled. Dawson nodded and rolled her eyes, taking the bottle from Shay.

"Is it okay if I go backstage to see the girls?" Dawson questioned.

"Of course. Could you see if any of them want drinks while you're back there?" Kimmie asked.

"Sure." Dawson looked at Shay, her finger in the blonde's face. "You. Stay."

And she was off.

Shay ordered an amaretto sour and two apple pie vodka shots before heading over to a black, leather chair. She slouched down, making herself comfortable as she watched a dancer perform on the main stage. It wasn't long before Monroe brought over her drinks. Shay slipped thirty dollars onto the server's now-empty tray and Monroe kissed Shay's cheek.

"We've missed you." She said in Shay's ear before sashaying off.

It was then that Dawson walked from the back. The Latina headed over to the bar, giving the girls' drinks orders to Kimmie and then made her way over to Shay. Plopping down next to her in the other leather chair, Dawson smiled at her best friend.

"Are you at least having fun yet?"

Shay shrugged, noncommittally. "I feel a little more relaxed."

She handed Dawson one of the apple pie vodka shots and they tapped them together before knocking them back.

"Thanks for bringing me out tonight." Shay said.

"Not a problem."

Starr And Tender, the mocha-complexioned twins, slowly made their way over to Shay, giving her their undivided attention. Each pawed at Shay's jacket and shirt, vying for her attention. Shay, however, just played her roll. She smiled, politely, and tipped them generously after being practically dry-humped.

Looking over at Dawson, the blonde woman looked utterly bored.

"What will it take for you to cheer up?" Dawson inquired.

Shay grinned devilishly. "Let's see you get up there and shake something."

Dawson's mouth dropped open, but amusement played over her features. "That's not gonna happen."

The blonde shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for trying."

_Saturday, Dawson's apartment, 2:46AM_

A drunken Shay plopped down on Dawson's leather couch and laid her head against the back of it. Her head was spinning and Dawson, reading her thoughts, started making coffee. On her way to the kitchen, she'd turned on her stereo system and quickly found a good station.

"I love this song." She commented as she turned on the Keurig machine.

"Yeah, I do, too." Shay replied. She took her jacket off and threw it over the arm of the couch and she looked over the breakfast bar at Dawson's turned back. "Dawson?"

"What's up?" The brunette filled up a second mug with the steaming liquid and started back into the living room.

"Thanks for taking me out tonight."

"You already thanked me for that."

"Well, thanks again." She said, taking the proferred coffee from Dawson.

"You're welcome."

Dawson sat her coffee on the table and abruptly stood up with a small gasp escaping her lips. "This song is amazing!" She turned the radio up and, unconsciously, started to slowly move her hips to the music.

_I waited for your call_

_You left me hanging on_

_It makes no sense at all to me, oh no_

_But later on I paid to the soundtrack that we made_

_But nothing resonates now, you're not here, _

_and you're still ringing in my ear_

_Melodies like memories on repeat,_

_Replaying the feelings that we're both pretending not to feel_

_With every note, with every string_

_I remember everything_

_It's all a melody_

Turning around, Shay was looking at her, intently. Her eyes roamed up the brunette's body before her gaze landed on Dawson's. Shay beckoned her partner with her finger, mouthing 'come here'.

Slowly making her way over to Shay, Dawson continued her deliberately slow movements to the paced beat of the song. And it wasn't long before she was standing in front of Shay, dancing rhythmically.

_Now I need to drown out all of my pain_

_So I'm gonna listen to a song that reminds me of you_

_I'm trying to understand why my heart aches_

_So I'm listening to songs that remind me of you_

_You, you_

The brunette's unbuttoned her jeans and sensually pushed them down, stepping out of them. She continued to dance, running her hands, showingly, up her flat stomach and over the valley of her breasts towards her neck. Closing her eyes for a brief second, Dawson felt different. She was dancing for Shay, but she didn't feel like she had when she was performing for the dozens of men who willingly paid her. She was dancing for Shay.

For her friend. Her partner. It felt sexy and new. And it gave her a higher sense of confidence before she

_See it's my therapy, I play the way I feel_

_I'm listening when I can't see you_

_I know you're thinking about me too_

_So when it's killing you softly_

_Would you say and come see me_

_Will you where you should be_

_Our song is never over because_

Dawson slowly peeled off her v-neck shirt, leaving her in her lacy, balconet bra and matching panties. She straddled Shay's lap, seductively grinding against the blonde. Shay's hands found their way to the soft, caramel skin of Dawson's waist. She watched, her eyes darkened with desire. Dawson's body tingled with lust and she knew that by the end of the song, her panties would be destroyed.

_Melodies and memories on repeat_

_Replaying the feelings that we're both pretending not to feel_

_With every note, with every string_

_I remember everything_

_It's all a melody_

_Now I need to drown out all of my pain_

_So I'm gonna listen to a song that reminds me of you_

_I'm trying to understand why my heart aches_

_So I'm listening to songs that remind me of you_

Shay kept her eyes locked with Dawson's as she cautiously slid a hand down the latter's stomach until it reached the hem of black lace. Dawson angled in and pressed her lips against Shay's. The blonde's mouth opened willingly and Dawson's tongue massaged hers. A low moan escaped Shay's lips and was swallowed by Dawson.

Shay's hand slipped into Dawson's panties and was immediately greeted with sweet wetness. Dawson hissed her approval, pulling away to kiss her blonde counterpart's neck. She sucked gently and then bit down at her pulse point.

"Fuck." Shay whispered. She pressed her fingertips against Dawson's sensitive bundle of nerves.

"Unh!" Dawson groaned into the crook of Shay's neck and demanded, "More."

Shay rubbed the nub in slow, firm circles, and Dawson ground her pelvis harder against Shay's, subsequently, pressing her wet core further against the blonde's hand. Two fingers slid downwards and were poised at her entrance, waiting for permission. Or for Dawson to pull away and end their little charade.

Instead, she nodded her head and pulled her lips from Shay's neck to kiss her again. Passionate. Hungry. Intense. And when Shay pushed her fingers inside of Dawson, the brunette's head lolled back, slightly and she moaned sweetly. It was like music to Shay's ears. She'd waited so long to be inside of Dawson. And it was tighter, warmer, wetter than she ever thought possible.

"Unh, shit, Leslie," moaned Dawson.

Shay smirked and pushed deeper into Dawson, twisting her fingers as much as she could in the position they were in.

"Say my name again." Shay demanded softly.

Dawson's head leveled and she looked into Shay's eyes, trying not to close them in exctasy. "Leslie." She whispered breathily.

"Again." Shay paced her fingers, speeding them up slightly and wiggling them inside of Dawson's hot core.

"Leslie!" The brunette panted and she began to ride Shay's fingers. "Fuck. Leslie!"

"Again."

Shay's free hand gravitated to Dawson's lower back, helping her to keep up the quickened pace.

"Leslie! _Shiiiiiit_! Unh... hunh... It feels so... _fuck_!"

A cocky laugh came from Shay. "That's it. Come for me."

"Coming! Coming! Coming!"

"Show me."

Dawson's muscles squeezed and fluttered around Shay's fingers and her thighs clenched as she came, her creamy love covering Shay's hand. She collapsed against Shay's body; her face falling into Shay's neck. And a small whine left her mouth when the blonde pulled out of her.

Shay wrapped her arms around Dawson, just waiting until her breathing returned to normal.

_Clarice, who?_

_**Up Next: The morning after and a date?**_

_**A/N #2: Hope you guys enjoyed it. Drop a review if I should even worry about finishing this.**_


	13. The Morning After

_**A/N: Glad you guys liked the last chapter. (: The way this chapter worked out, there wasn't much room for Shay and Dawson's date, so that'll be next chapter. Sorry. But, enjoy this chapter as a peace offering. NSFW.**_

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_**Chapter 13: The Morning After**_

_Saturday, Dawson's apartment, 10:12AM_

When Dawson twisted onto her side and stretched languidly, she felt an arm slip off of her side. Turning her head, she spotted her partner and smiled. Pieces of her night with Shay flashed through her head and she pulled the covers up over her bare shoulders to block out the cool air in her room. Torn between wanting to watch Shay sleep and seeing those bright blue eyes, Dawson pushed a few tendrils of cornsilk tresses out of Shay's face. In return, Shay let out a soft hum before she sharply inhaled through her nose and sleepily opened one eye.

When she spotted the Latina watching her, she closed it again and an amused smiled played over her face. "How long have you been watching me, creep?"

Dawson's breathed her chuckle out of her nose before responding. "Not long. Maybe a minute or two."

"That's too long. I'm getting a restraining order against you."

This time, Dawson's sweet laugh escaped her mouth and she sidled up closer to Shay. "Oh really? That's too bad." She slid her right hand up the inside of Shay's bare leg until it reached the apex between her thighs.

The blonde tensed and then quickly relaxed. "And why is that?"

"Because then I wouldn't be able to do this." Dawson massaged her fingertips over the soft, blue lace material of Shay's panties. Shay gently squeezed her hand around the brunette's wrist and her legs parted ever so slightly. And when Dawson's fingers moved upwards to the hem of the material, Shay hummed her permission.

Slipping her hand inside, Dawson found that Shay was already slick with a creamy wetness. Shay inhaled deeply, but breathed out the lightest moan. Dawson ran her fingers up and down the moist folds before firmly pressing three of them against Shay's clit. She rubbed in slow, agonizing circles and moved closer to kiss Shay's neck. Shay lifted her hips and removed her panties completely, leaving them to get lost in the ocean of sheets.

"Oh. _Shit_." Shay hissed. Dawson smirked against Shay's neck before softly sucking at her pulse point. Another bout of wetness slipped from Shay's core. The brunette's fingers slipped further down before she easily slid two knuckle-deep inside of the blonde.

Shay gasped her pleasure. "Hunh!... _More_."

And so Dawson slid another a third finger inside of Shay and rested the pad of her thumb against her clit. Shay repositioned herself she that she was straddling Dawson and slowly begin to ride the brunette's fingers. In that moment Dawson knew she'd never seen anything sexier than Shay rolling her hips to feel as much of Dawson as she possibly could. She curled her fingers inside of the blonde, and smirked cockily when Shay cursed again and her body nearly collapsed on top of Dawson.

Shay held herself up by placing her hands on either side of Dawson's shoulders. Dawson placed one hand on Shay's lower back, guiding her to a quicker pace and she moved her hand faster upwards to meet the blonde's downward thrusts.

"Jesus, Gabriela! Sooo... good!" Shay praised. "Faster."

Dawson pumped faster and deeper inside of her blonde counterpart, corkscrewing her fingers and rubbing her thumb harder onto Shay's clit. At this new pace, it wasn't long before Dawson's felt Shay's muscles squeeze her fingers in a death grip.

"Unh! _Coming_... I'm _coming_." Shay groaned, breathlessly. Dawson kept her fingers completely still inside of Shay as the blonde rode out her climax, coming all over Dawson's hand. When she had no more energy to hold herself up, she pushed off of Dawson and slipped back into bed beside her.

"How did... _do_... _that_?" She panted.

Dawson grinned, pleased with herself. "It's a gift."

"You were totally digging into girls. Is that who that blonde was at the CFD barbecue a while back?" Shay commented once she was able to control her breathing.

"Something like that."

"I peaked your interest, huh?"

Dawson cleared her throat. "Again, something like that."

Shay laughed. "Damn, I'm good."

"Shut up or you get no breakfast." The brunette teased.

"An orgasm _and _breakfast? So, are we getting married today or tomorrow?" Shay joked.

"Shut up."

_Saturday, Firehouse 51, 7:32PM_

Shay and Dawson had already been on the clock for two hours and they'd had seven calls. With no time to talk about what had transpired between them last night and that morning, they didn't really know where they stood. Honestly, neither of them thought about it that much. Their conversations were lighter and they laughed a lot more than usual, and every now and then, one would look at the other and secret smiles would grace their faces.

Once they finally got a break, the pair sat at the table in the lounge across from each other. Shay was reading on her iPad and Dawson's face was deep in a book she'd been trying to finish for nearly a month. They stole glances at each other once in awhile.

Severide walked into the family room and kissed the crown of Shay's head before taking a seat next to her. "Where were you last night? I came by your place with a pint of ice cream and some movies.

"Aw. You did? Kelly, that's so sweet." Shay said, sincerely. "Dawson dragged me out last night to Nocturnal's where she then proceeded to get me wasted."

"I did not!" Dawson exclaimed. "You were the one making love to a full bottle of vodka."

Shay cocked an eyebrow and turned to the brunette. "I didn't hear the vodka complaining."

Dawson inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying desperately to hide the smirk on her face. Severide looked back and forth between both women.

"Did I miss something?" He asked.

"No." They answered in unison.

"Anyway," Severide began, "so, what'd you do afterwards? Please don't say one of the strippers."

Shay was silent for a few heartbeats, not really knowing how to respond. Technically, she had done a stripper last night, albeit reformed, and now her paramedic partner. But she wasn't about to tell Severide that. "No. I was too drunk to do anything. So, I crashed at Dawson's."

"Cool. What do you say we get some breakfast tomorrow after shift is over?" He asked. "Dawson, you in?"

"Uh, sure. I don't have any other plans. Except sleep."

"Shay?"

"As long as we don't got to Toast. I hate that place now."

Severide glanced at Dawson. Toast was where Shay and Clarice had their first official date. "Okay. We'll find someplace else."

"Then I'm in." The blonde agreed, flicking her finger across the iPad screen.

Just then, Severide's truck and Shay and Dawson's ambo were called over the loudspeaker.

After rescuing a man trapped in a fire and handing him over to doctors, Shay and Leslie headed back to the firehouse.

"Just so this isn't awkward or neither of us is wondering where we go next, I was kind of hoping you'd go to dinner with me. So we can talk a little." Shay announced.

Dawson smiled. "I'd love to."

"Good." Shay said, letting out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. "Good."

_Sunday, Eleven City Diner, 8:58AM_

"I'm so tired." Shay whined. "I wanna sleep for like days."

"Well, good thing we're off until tomorrow night." Dawson told her, closing her menu. She'd just have an egg white omelet, bacon and hash browns and a fresh fruit salad. Nothing else on the menu seemed to hold her interest.

"So, what are you two gonna do on your day off?" Severide inquired.

"You don't have off too?" Shay wondered aloud.

"Nah. I'm on shift tonight but I'm off tomorrow night."

"So, we won't see you until Tuesday." The blonde responded.

"Yeah. I'll come over before your shift tomorrow night."

"Sounds good." Shay said.

"So, how was Nocturnal the other night? See any familiar faces."

"Every face in Nocturnal is familiar to Shay." Dawson replied absently as she picked up her phone to text her brother.

"_Ouch_." Shay chuckled, feigning hurt. She placed her hand over her heart for good measure.

"Sorry, not sorry." Dawson teased.

"You two seem... different." Severide noted.

"Don't be weird. There's nothing different about us." The blonde answered a little too quickly.

Silence fell around the table for several heartbeats. And then a lightbulb turned on in Severide's head. He sat against the booth and put his arm on the back of it, behind Shay's head. Before Shay could say anything, Severide started to laugh.

"You two slept together, didn't you?" He asked through chuckles.

"_Shh_!" Dawson and Shay shushed in unison.

Lowering his voice, Severide shook his head and pointed between them. "Well, it's about damn time. Cause the sexual tension between you two was too much."

"There was no sexual tension."

"Denial, my good lesbian friend," Severide started, patting Shay on the back, "is not just a river in Egypt."

Shay smacked his hand away from her. "It's not my fault. Dawson seduced me."

"Shay!" Dawson gasped, her eyes wide.

"Well you did."

"_Dawson_. Seduced. _You_? I don't believe it."

"Well, sorry but there's no video to prove it, but it happened." Shay told him.

Severide looked at Dawson for confirmation. Dawson glanced at Shay, quickly wondering if Severide was to be trusted. Shay smiled and nodded.

"Oh, fine. Yeah, I did." The brunette confessed with a roll of her eyes.

"How?"

"A striptease. And lapdance." Shay quickly interjected.

"Which, by the way, I'm shocked actually worked. I would've thought you were sick of lapdances from working at Nocturnal," admitted Dawson.

"Let me tell you something about men and lesbians," Severide addressed Dawson, "we never get tired of hot women taking off their clothes slowly and riding our-."

Shay slapped a hand to Severide's mouth. "Shut up, Kelly."

The corners of Dawson's mouth turned up in a slight smirk and she looked at Severide. "Be that as it may, if you tell anyone else, Shay gets punished."

Removing Shay's hand from his mouth, he asked, "Like a spanking?"

Shay clasped her hand back against his lips.

"No, like she won't get any for as long as I can possibly hold out." Dawson quipped.

Shay and Severide gasped in unison. "You wouldn't?"

"Oh, I would."

"Okay. Everybody calm down. Don't go gettin' all crazy, now."

"Yeah, Shay's right. You can trust me. Mums the word." Severide promised.

"Good." The Latina replied before sipping from her orange juice and looking around. "Seriously, where the hell is our waitress?"

_**Up Next: Shay and Dawson have a dinner date.**_


End file.
